An inferno broke out at the 20th-century building on Mama Ngina Street in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) on Monday afternoon.
A security guard at the building, John Opinde told Business Daily that a small cloud of smoke was followed by sparks and then a loud bang
Two people sustained minor injuries following the fire that is reported to have been caused by an explosion in a dry cleaning shop on the ground floor.
Mr Opinde affirmed that both injured individuals were employees at the dry cleaning shop located on the ground floor of the building, with one of them identified as a pregnant woman.
“The pregnant woman was rushed to hospital in an ambulance since she was experiencing difficulties breathing due to the smoke," he revealed.
Reports indicated that most of the people in the building felt the brunt of the effects of exposure to smoke or minor bruises while scurrying to safety.
The actual cause of the fire and the value of property lost was yet to be established, with the dry cleaning facility confirmed to have its entire premises burnt to ash.
The building hosts an IMAX movie theatre, several Forex bureaus, and clothing stores.
Here is a video of the fire emergency team combating the inferno at the scene:
Here are more photos from the scene:
