Tourists and staff at the Majlis Beach Resort in Lamu escaped unhurt after part of of the premises was razed down by a mysterious fire on Saturday.
The fire started at the kitchen at 10am and spread to the bar area.
“The fire must have started in the kitchen because all I saw was smoke coming from the kitchen's roof," the hotel's security chief Karisa Masha.
"We responded quickly and tried to put it out. The fire spread fast and it was hard to put out because there were strong winds and the scorching sun didn't help."
Masha said too little was salvaged from the razed part.
Tourists at the resort during the incident joined staff, security and the police, led by region's police boss Abdullahi Adan and county commissioner Joseph Kanyiri to put out the fire.
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The Lamu county fire department responded by sending a team of enforcement officers who also assisted in putting out the fire.
No one was injured in the incident.
“We have managed to put the fire out with the help of members of the public. No one died or injured in the incident. As a county,we must make efforts to invest in firefighting equipment,” said Kanyiri.
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The Majlis Hotel’s General Manager Nimu Githahu said the cause of the fire is yet to be established.
She thanked the public and officers for their help in putting out the fire and added that activities at the hotel will run as usual since the guest rooms were not affected.
“Only a section of the hotel was affected. Yes we have lost some property. However, we shall continue receiving bookings for the December holidays despite this unfortunate incident. Will be back on our feet sooner than you know,” said Githahu.