Machakos: Faulty Gas Cylinder Explodes, Kills Man Who Was Lighting It

• Several households in Mavoko, Machakos county, have nowhere to go after their houses were reduced to ashes on Tuesday, the first day of this year's August
• The fire started in one house whose occupant was igniting a cooking gas cylinder that exploded in the process
• About 50 houses were burnt down despite the effort by the Machakos county fighters to extinguish the fire

Athi River - Several households incurred losses on Tuesday, August 1, after a fire razed down their structures in the Mavoko locality.

Citizen TV reports that the fire came about after a faulty cooking gas cylinder exploded after being ignited.

To confirm the disastrous incident was Athi River Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner Patrick Mwangi who noted the fire spread from a single house to those adjacent.

About 50 houses were razed down with property of considerable value.

One person died; he is the owner of the cylinder who had ignited it.

The administrator called on well-wishers to come out to salvage the affected families.

“I am asking well-wishers to come to help those affected by the fire. Many families have been left without homes today as a result of the fire,” Mwangi is quoted as having said.

Fire engine operators from Machakos county responded to the calls and helped put out the fire.

This came weeks after another fire incident left a church and several households in Limuru East reduced to ashes.

The evening fire burnt down the African Divine Church and 13 houses adjacent to it.

Limuru sub-County Deputy Police Commander Paul Yator stated that the fire broke out at around 5 pm.

No casualties were reported, despite some locals taking advantage of the situation to loot household goods.

The police immediately launched an investigation into the first-spreading fire.

Hunting down looters

Yator further stated that the police would hunt down anybody involved in looting during the fire incident.

He stated that the group took advantage of the fire victims in their hour of need to loot their properties.

"We will hunt down those who took advantage of the incident to loot property that residents were trying to retrieve from the inferno," he added.