Tens evacuated after Eastleigh Plaza fire

Tens of people were evacuated from a high-rise commercial building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, after a fire broke out.

Police said Yare Plaza on Yusuf Haji Avenue had dozens of tenants at the time of the incident.

The fire started in the middle of the about seven-storey building, trapping several people inside.

The building houses tenants who sell various goods, particularly clothes.

The fire was contained more than two hours after it started. Nairobi police boss George Seda said all tenants in the building were evacuated.

He said some sustained not very serious injuries as they escaped from the inferno.

“The cause of the fire has not been established for now, but the emergency teams have evacuated all who were trapped there,” said Seda.

Investigations into the cause of the Yare Plaza fire are ongoing.

Emergency teams included members of the public who devised ways to rescue those trapped.

A dark cloud of smoke billowed from the building as it burned, with scores of people feared trapped inside.

A man was seen using an electrical earthing wire to climb out of the burning building.

Some businessmen also attempted to save their goods from the fire.

The Nairobi County Government deployed a fire truck from the Fire Department to help extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings.

Police officers also arrived at the scene to assist with the rescue operation and to stop those who attempted to take advantage of the situation to steal.

The incident happened barely a month after a business plaza caught fire in the Nairobi Central Business District.

The building went up in flames on January 6, 2026, after a fire started on its top floors.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 2007 and the Fire Risk Reduction Rules 2007, business premises are required to have functional, appropriate, and serviced fire-fighting equipment.

These include fire extinguishers, fire hoses and fire alarms. Failure to comply with the regulations attracts a fine of up to Sh500,000.

There is an ongoing campaign to have all structures in the city install safety measures for their tenants.