Once again, the roofs of dry palm trees, the now infamous, albeit scenic and 'African' makuti, were the negative protagonists of a fire that devastated a complex of cottages in Malindi behind the former pink shopping centre 'La Piazzetta', better known as Iguana Beach, between the central Lamu Road and the Indian Ocean, a stone's throw from the coastal town's casino.
The flames, which broke out around one o'clock on Wednesday afternoon for causes that are still to be ascertained, destroyed practically all the houses close to the beach and around the swimming pools, while the fire, driven by the sea wind, reportedly came from the direction of the old Sinbad hotel, and was put out only two hours later.
Certainly the buildings with makuti roofs spread the fire faster and the cottages, mostly owned by Italians, went up in smoke within a few dozen minutes. Fortunately, from reports so far, there are no casualties or injuries.
By an unfortunate coincidence, exactly three years ago, on 13 March 2021, the villas of the Key Park 2 residence, next to the Coral Key, had burnt down in much the same way. Like the Piazzetta, both were built and managed for years by the former Malindi consul, Marco Vancini, who died prematurely.