“I was fast asleep when I heard a loud bang and woke up immediately,” says Allan Njoroge, a resident of Pipeline.

He is one of the locals whose night was disrupted when a petrol tanker exploded in the wee hours of Saturday morning parked infront of Miale hotel.

By midday, the police, Kenya Power officials and rescue disaster teams were still on site, trying to clear the scene and restore order to this stretch of road along the busy Nakuru–Nairobi highway.

Amidst the large crowd of onlookers, we hear Allan Njoroge likening this to the Sachangwan incident that happened a few years ago.

Michael Mwaura, the Nakuru County Police Commander, assessing the damage caused by the IOL tanker explosion in Pipeline on June 14, 2025.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

"I was fast asleep when I heard a loud bang and immediately woke up. I went to the window to see what was going on, and from a distance, I could see the fire. Immediately afterwards, the air was filled with smoke. I quickly rushed to the scene, where I found a large crowd had already gathered. The fire was getting bigger and bigger, so we stood a distance away waiting for help to arrive,” he says.

The incident Njoroge says reminded him of the Sachangwan incident, which claimed numerous lives.

Damaged vehicles that were involved in the fire incident that occurred in Pipeline on June 14, 2025.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

"The smell of burnt petrol and the sight of burnt vehicles makes me remember the Sachangwan incident. I was young at the time and we lived in Salgaa. I was one of the first responders at the scene, and it was a very traumatic event. Even now, I get jittery when I hear about similar incidents.”

Ian Kimotho says that he was on his phone, scrolling through X (formerly Twitter), when he heard a loud bang.

An expert carefully siphoning oil from the exploded petrol tanker on June 14, 2025.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

“I was watching a video clip on X about the war between Israel and Iran, with bombs being thrown at buildings, when suddenly I heard an explosion. I was confused as to what was happening. 'Ama sisi pia tumekujiwa?' I thought,” he says.

Unlike Allan, Ian stayed indoors, learning of the incident from their estate WhatsApp group.

A crowd looks on at the damage caused when a petrol tanker exploded in the morning of June 14, 2025.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

Nakuru County Police Commander Michael Mwaura says the explosion occurred at around 2am.

“Four vehicles were involved in the incident and were badly burnt. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but we cannot yet establish the cause of the fire. However, investigations are underway to determine what happened,” he says.

Pipeline petrol tanker explosion sparks panic, evokes memories of Sachangwan tragedy

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Bret Sanya