Three dead, over 270 injured in huge fire in Nairobi

NAIROBI - At least three people were killed and more than 270 injured in a massive fire when a truck laden with gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, police said Friday. 

Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by around 9am, more than nine hours after it erupted, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The explosion ignited a "huge ball of fire that spread widely", government spokesman Isaac Maigua Mwaura posted on X.

"Consequently, the inferno further damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and medium sized businesses," he said.

"Sadly, residential houses in the neighbourhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as it was late at night," he added.

At least three people died and 271 were admitted to various hospitals in Nairobi, Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspector General of Police, told reporters. 

The fire broke out just before midnight on Thursday in the Embakasi neighbourhood southeast of the capital.

Images broadcast by local media showed a huge fireball close to several homes.

According to an AFP journalist, several houses and vehicles were burned, with images of the scene showing the wreckage of charred vehicles.