Malindi Beach Villas & Resorts on Fire
Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
by Edwin Muriithi
African Safaris & Adventures
Over 200 private luxury villas worth billions of shillings were destroyed in Malindi following a fierce fire on Sunday. Though no one was injured, nothing was salvaged during the 1.30 pm inferno that also gutted down more than 50 luxury vehicles at the Oasis area of Malindi town, 120 kilometres north east of Mombassa.
Malindi Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Peter Kattam said the fire started at Lion Villas and quickly spread to the luxurious Palm Tree Hotel and Kibokoni villas.
A hotelier Mr Muiruri, whose hotel was destroyed blamed the Malindi fire fighting unit for their slow response to fire outbreaks in the tourist resort." The response by fire fighters has always been late resulting to huge losses by hoteliers," Muiruri said, and further appealed to the Government to provide a new fire fighting engine for the town as the current one broke down frequently.
Protested bitterly Italian investors who own most of the luxury beach villas and hotel resorts in Malindi protested bitterly on Sunday claiming frequent fire outbreaks had destroyed their properties worth billions of shillings.
Led by the Italian consular in Malindi Roberto Macri, they appealed to the Government to invest in modern fire fighting equipment in the town. Fire spreads so fast at Malindi beach villas in the town because the roofs of most villas are thatched with dry coconut leaves.
"The hotel fire accidents are too many in Malindi. We are not ready to continue losing property worth millions of shillings in fires which can be contained with modern equipment," Marci said.
Similar fires have in recent months swept through beach hotels and beach villas in Watatu, Malindi and Mambrui with no solution in sight. This year alone, fires have broken out at Watatu Beach Hotel, La Papaya Hotel, Kivulini Hotel in Malindi and Karibuni villas in Mambrui.
Left homeless
Meanwhile, two people were injured and more than 300 left homeless in a fire incident in Mukuru slums in Nairobi.
The fire was started in one of the structures before spreading to others, witnesses said.
Police said the scores were injured as they fought to contain the inferno that reduced more than 70 structures to ashes. Embakasi OCPD Rono Bunei said the fire that broke out in the morning started in one house and spread fast to others.
It took firefighters over an hour to contain the fire. Those injured were immediately rushed to hospital as the other villagers fought to contain the raging inferno. Locals said poor access contributed to the delay by the fire brigade in accessing the houses to stop the inferno from spreading.
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Edwin is a specialist in African Safaris and a tour operator. His tour company he co-founded, African Safaris & Adventures, has presence in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Egypt, Madascar, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Seychelles.
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