ONE person died and at least five others were seriously hurt when a strong fire erupted at a mattress factory in the Makongeni area of Thika Town, Kiambu County.
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The fire began around 10 am and quickly spread through the whole factory, turning buildings into rubble and destroying valuable finished goods and raw materials worth millions of shillings.
When the fire fighters arrived, thick black smoke had already filled the area, and the flames were spreading quickly across the site.
Witnesses like Julius Maina and Peter Nthenge said the injured workers were taken out in serious condition and sent to different hospitals in Thika and nearby areas for urgent care.
Residents who went to the scene described the situation as very chaotic as workers tried to get out of the burning factory, worried about possible explosions.
Fire engines rushed to the location after being alerted by the local people, but controlling the fire was tough because of how intense it was.
Reports showed that leaking gas inside the factory might have made the fire spread faster, making it harder for the fire fighters to get the situation under control.
More than seven fire trucks were finally sent to the area as the rescue work continued.
The exact cause of the fire had not been found by the time the report was written, and investigations were expected to start to figure out what caused the tragedy.
Local leaders from Kiambu, including Deputy Speaker John Njiru and Kentamms Mwangi, visited the scene and said rescue and cooling efforts were still going on as officials worked to stop the fire from moving to nearby buildings.
They mentioned that the incident showed weaknesses in fire preparedness in the industrial area.
They also said plans are being made to add more fire hydrants in Makongeni and other industrial areas to help with emergency responses during fires.
At the same time, they asked factory owners in Thika to focus on keeping workers safe by setting up clear escape routes and following fire safety rules to avoid similar disasters in the future.