EDEN ROC RESORT IN MALINDI BURNS DOWN
(Posted 18th December 2013)
Reports have come in from the Kenyan beach resort town of Malindi that the Sai Eden Roc Hotel burned down last night, after a fire broke out at the resort’s restaurant.
Most guests escaped the fire unharmed though at least two, according to the source, were injured and had to be taken to a local hospital. The fire will come as a blow to guests booked at the resort for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday season, as fire investigators are now first determining the cause of the blaze before an insurance settlement can allow for reconstruction to begin.
The source also pointed out that perhaps the low level of bookings in the 3* hotel had contributed to keeping the level of injuries contained, in particular as it took a long time for the first fire engine to arrive which was later joined by a fire engine from Malindi’s airport which has no night operations. Resort managers along the entire Kenyan coast have time and again asked authorities to ensure prompt responses to fire incidents but as in this case, when it took several hours to put the fire out, this has been a bone of contention. The use of makuti roofing material [makuti is the name for palm leaf panels used to
thatch roofs at the coast] may also have contributed to the spread of the fire, an issue insurance companies have in the past taken up with hotels insisting on the use of safer and more fire resistance building materials.
Guests staying at the Sai Eden Roc were rebooked to other resorts and hotels in Malindi for the remainder of their booked vacations.
