Scores rendered homeless as wild fire razes 20 houses in Kipini

Scores of villagers were rendered homeless Wednesday when a wild fire swept across Bula Nazi village in Kipini division of Tana Delta Sub County and razed down 20 houses.
Tana Delta Sub County Police Commander Peter Wambua said the fire started from a nearby farm as a farmer was preparing his shamba for planting.
Wambua said in a phone interview that the man lit a fire to burn some trash, but the fire went out of hand and started burning some palm trees.
The fire then spread to the village after the tree branches which had caught fire, were driven by strong winds to the village and burnt the clustered raffia-thatched structures.
No deaths or injuries were reported in the incident, but authorities were by the time of going to press still assessing the extent of the damage.
Fire incidents are usually frequent in Tana River County especially during the dry season, when farmers are preparing their farms for the planting season.
About two weeks ago, a temporary school tuition block at Miticharaka primary school was gutted down after a farmer who was preparing his farm near the school was unable to contain a fire he had lit.
The county government recently purchased a fire engine to help fight fires in urban centres but the equipment is yet to be put to use.
By Emmanuel Masha