Normal operations were brought to a standstill along Luthuli Avenue in the Nairobi CBD after a fire broke out at one of the busy buildings on Tuesday, December 6.
Preliminary reports indicate the fire stemmed from Ramogi building, which houses several electronic shops on the ground floor.
In images and videos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the fire appeared to have started on the first floor and eventually spread to uncontainable levels after a few minutes.
Moments after the inferno started, a huge crowd gathered at the scene, although no one attempted to put out the flames, which had already destroyed a considerable part of the building.
Notably, the massive displays along the busy street were engulfed in flames, while much of the first-floor premises’ contents were reduced to ashes.
While there are no official reports on the casualties or injuries resulting from the fire, the inferno led to the destruction of several shops, leading to property of unknown value going up in flames.
Clips circulating on social media showed business owners in surrounding areas moving quickly to close their shops, fearing the blaze could easily spread to the neighbouring buildings.
At the time of publication, the Nairobi City County Government had not yet issued a formal statement on the fire.
By evening, however, the blaze had been contained, though large clouds of smoke continued to rise from the building, indicating that flammable materials had been consumed in the inferno.
Historically, fires in the Nairobi CBD have been few and far between, but often bring massive destruction to property and result in loss of lives.
One of the latest incidents prior to the Luthuli Avenue inferno took place in June 2025, when a fire broke out at the topmost floor in the high-rise building, located next to Barkat Biashara Mall, opposite Simba Coach booking centre.
Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko had in November called on his successor Johnson Sakaja to set up stations in each of Nairobi's 17 sub-counties to improve response rates from the department.
