At least two people were killed and 10 evacuated to various hospitals following a petrol tanker fire near Paul Boit Secondary School along the Eldoret-Turbo Road in Uasin Gishu.
Officials said some of those evacuated had severe burns and there were fears that more could succumb to their injuries.
Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said at least two bodies had been collected.
The victims had reportedly gone to the scene to collect spilling fuel after the tanker broke down, before the fire broke out.
“We collected two bodies then. Many others were rescued and rushed to hospitals in serious condition,” he said on the phone.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday night, triggered a mass casualty response, with fears that several people may have been injured or killed in the explosion.
The Kenya Red Cross said it deployed teams to the scene and was responding in collaboration with the Kenya Police Service and firefighters.
“Kenya Red Cross is on the ground responding in collaboration with Kenya Police and firefighters,” the organisation said in a post on X at around 10:30 pm on Thursday.
The fire had reportedly been contained by around 4 am on Friday following a multi-agency response.
However, the exact cause of the fire remained unclear, while the number of casualties had yet to be conclusively established.
Motorists were urged to avoid the affected section of the Eldoret-Bungoma Highway to allow emergency teams unhindered access as they continued with rescue operations and investigations.
Multi-agency teams remained on the ground to assess the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident comes amid concerns over the safety of petroleum tankers operating on Kenyan roads, particularly the risks posed by fires and explosions involving highly flammable fuel.
Past incidents have left dozens of people dead.
The most deadly was the Sachangwan incident in Nakuru, where more than 50 people were killed after a fire broke out as they fetched spilling fuel.
