Editor's Review

Firefighters had a hard time accessing the scene due to congestion and narrow streets caused by a new traffic model enforced by the county government. 

Five people died on Wednesday and three others were injured after a domestic accident in Kibokoni, Old Town in Mombasa County. 

Confirming the incident, Kenya Red Cross Coast region coordinator Rajab Musa said that five people had lost their lives in the fire incident. 

“Unfortunately, we have lost the five people while the injured ones have been rushed to Pandya and Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospitals,” said Mr Rajab.

According to reports, the house caught fire killing the five after a gas cylinder exploded in a house in the area.  

"We just heard a blast and saw huge flames and smoke on the second floor, the fire was spreading fast," an eyewitness told a local publication. 

{Locals gathered at the scene following a gas cylinder explosion PHOTO/COURTESY}

Another eyewitness who lost two of his relatives in the inferno accused the county government of Mombasa of laxity over failure to contain the fire on time. 

Firefighters had a hard time accessing the scene due to congestion and narrow streets caused by a new traffic model enforced by the county government.