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Drive with caution! Road closed as fuel tanker explodes into flames along Southern Bypass
24th January, 2026 12:39 PM
The Kenya Red Cross has confirmed a fire incident after a fuel tanker exploded into flames along Nairobi’s Southern Bypass.
The Kenya Red Cross took to their official X account on Saturday, January 24, 2026, while announcing that the fire incident has halted transport operations along the Southern Bypass.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, the accident involved a lorry and a fuel tanker, which later led to an explosion near Ram Residency.
“A road traffic incident involving a lorry and a fuel tanker, which led to an explosion, has been reported near Ram Residency along the Southern Bypass,” Red Cross said.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Red Cross has confirmed that the Southern Bypass highway has been temporarily closed, and motorists are advised to use alternative routes.
“The highway has been temporarily closed. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes,” Red Cross added.
Huruma fire incident
The Southern Bypass fire comes just months after eight people were feared dead and approximately 80 others were left homeless following a devastating gas explosion and fire that swept through Madoya slums in Huruma, Nairobi County.
According to eyewitness accounts from residents, the inferno began on Thursday night, October 2, 2025, and was triggered by a gas cylinder explosion that quickly engulfed several structures in the densely populated area.
One resident who lost his wife and three children in the inferno described the chaotic scene as the fire broke out in a neighbouring house.
“The fire started downstairs at our neighbour’s place. I don’t know what the problem was; we heard it was gas. I lost my wife, the mother of the house, and I lost my three children and one child of my brother-in-law who was living with us,” he told the media.
Another female resident, currently recuperating in the hospital, recounted her narrow escape from the fire, describing how fast it spread through the tightly packed houses.
“We were sleeping when another girl, Cynthia, came and told me there was a fire and houses were burning. When I came out, I found that the fire had already reached our door. When I tried to leave, the fire had blocked the way, and I couldn’t pass, so I went back. The fire came from behind until young men brought me a ladder, and I escaped. I was injured,” she said.
One bereaved mother spoke of losing her daughter and all her belongings in the fire, and her inability to afford funeral arrangements.
“When I went to check on her, I found it was true; my daughter died. I am left with nothing. I don’t have the money to take my child to the mortuary. I can’t take her home. I am just the way you see me; I have no clothes, nothing. I am left with this small child. I don’t have accommodation. I don’t even know how I will be helped. I am just empty-handed,” she said.
