Five killed in Mathare night blaze
Police say four other individuals sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
At least five people have died following a night fire that broke out around 2:00 a.m. in Mathare B, an informal settlement within Nairobi’s Mathare area.
Police say four other individuals sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
Nairobi police commander George Sedah confirmed that the fire erupted from one of the iron-sheet structures before quickly spreading to adjacent homes, razing at least eight houses and damaging two nearby churches.
He noted that the victims were asleep when the blaze broke out, claiming five lives and leaving four others hospitalized with severe injuries.
Authorities have launched investigations to determine the exact cause of the fire.
The blaze left multiple families homeless, with thick smoke still hanging over the charred remains of the area by morning. Many residents have already started efforts to rebuild what they lost.
Emergency responders, including firefighters and police, cited poor road access within the dense informal settlement as a major obstacle that delayed their arrival and worsened the devastation.
The Mathare B slums fire occurred just hours after another blaze erupted early Sunday, May 18, 2025, at Nairobi’s Gikomba Market, raising fresh concerns over fire safety and emergency preparedness in the city’s high-risk areas.
