A suspected gas explosion has destroyed property worth millions of shillings in Moi's Bridge, Uasin Gishu County.
The Saturday morning blaze has razed several businesses and shops in the market area. In videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, a huge inferno can be seen torching part of the kiosks at the market.
County fire engines are containing the situation. The blaze has raised fears of a suspected gas explosion, and no casualties have been reported yet.
Images showing the aftermath depict some gas canisters in the wreck. Some reports indicate that the fire originated from a gas depot and spread to other shops.
In pictures shared with Kenyans.co.ke, some shops, including a Mpesa and food store, with dark smoke billowing from the roof.
Moi’s Bridge is a famous cosmopolitan town located several kilometres from Eldoret on the way to Kitale, the headquarters of Trans Nzoia County.
The town is located a short distance from where the famous River Nzoia crosses the Eldoret-Kitale Highway.
The suspected gas explosion returns the horrific images of February last year when a gas explosion in the Embakasi area of Nairobi claimed six people and injured nearly 300 others.
The incident that detectives are still probing happened when a truck loaded with gas canisters exploded. Houses, businesses, and cars were damaged, with videos showing a huge blaze raging close to blocks of flats.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) said in a statement that the gas plant was illegal and that it had rejected three applications for construction permits to build a storage and filling facility at the site.
Epra said the designs did not meet its safety standards, and there was a high population around the proposed site.
