‘Not enough fire’ to try and take down tragic Lang’ata fire in Kenya
Survivors of the deadly blaze which ripped through a Kenyan slum, which left four people dead, have spoken out about their battle to save their homes, and described it as “like fighting in hell.”
Residents resorted to using sewage water in an attempt to put out the fires that engulfed the houses in the Lang’ata region of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Nixon Korir, the MP for the area, said that when fire engines turned up to tackle the fire, they didn’t have enough water.
The fire was eventually extinguished on the 29th of January at 06:00, and pictures that have emerged on social media have shown how people did their utmost to put the fire out with literally anything they could find.
Police have launched a formal investigation into the fire, which began at 20:00 on the 28th January, and raged on for 10 hours.
It is also feared that a number of bodies may be found when the recovery and clear-up operations begin on the wreckage of the homes.
The Deputy President of Kenya, William Ruto, has claimed that the government will spend $490,000 (£347,000) in order to help the victims.
However, it remains unclear whether the offer will be enough to calm residents – and the widespread public – over the perceived failings of the fire service, who have come under intense criticism from a large number of people, while people have questioned where the government’s priorities lie.
