An early alert by residents and swift response by Uasin Gishu County on Friday helped extinguish a fire at a residential house in Outspan area in the outskirts of Eldoret town.
Chief Fire Officer David Sitati said that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined but the entire house would have been fully engulfed within hours if the firefighters didn’t respond quickly after receiving the call.
Kabongo location Chief Wilson Choge thanked the firefighters for putting out the fire.
“The Uasin Gishu firefighters are true professionals,”Chief Choge said. “Their timing and team effort is very great. They worked together so well, we were worried because the flames were spreading very fast.”
Residents are encouraged to utilize the Hotline Numbers: 0710646464, 0532061185, and 0706389888 for quick responses to incidents.
Residents Urged To Support Each Other, Understand Better Ways Of Coping With Stress
Meanwhile, the Chief Fire Officer urged residents to support each other, understand alternative ways of solving problems and handle stress to reduce cases of depression, mental illnesses and thoughts of suicide.
Speaking at Kileges village in Cheptiret/Kipchamo Ward, Kesses Sub- County during a rescue mission to retrieve the body of a 27-year-old man from the Kileges Dam, Sitati said “Whatever your circumstances, there are ways to get through tough economic times, ease stress and anxiety and regain control.”
The residents who gathered and family members of the deceased who witnessed the exercise identified the body as Kelvin Kiprop who they claimed had threatened to commit suicide in the Dam the previous evening at around 5:30 p.m.
Sitati advised that no matter how hopeless a situation seems, there is help available and no one should resort to ending their own life. He said that some of the signs of a stressed person include; drinking too much, abusing drugs, gambling, or overeating among others.
The body was later taken by police officers to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary in Eldoret.
