A plane bought by Swiss nationals Reto Casanova and Dario Urbani then later converted into a restaurant in Mombasa has burnt down after a fire.
The DC3; ZK-BBJ was used in World War II and in New Zealand to ferry soldiers and supplies around the Pacific.
However, in an interview with Stuff Travel, the investors revealed that the plane repurposed into a restaurant was destroyed in a fire at the Mombasa Go-Kart. They, however, did not reveal when this happened but hinted it was over the weekend.
During the interview with New Zealand's largest travel news site, Casanova revealed that the fire began after a blackout.
"The power came back violently, resulting in the fire," he explained during the interview published on Wednesday, April 17.
"Some minutes later the plane was filled with heavy smoke. No way to go inside and fight the fire, and five minutes later the plane was under full flames. I assume that one of the video or audio equipment got blown up and caught fire," he stated.
Casanova revealed that he asked his staff members to vacate the premises to avoid being injured in the fire.
He however noted that fortunately, no one was in the plane when the fire broke out and no casualties were reported.
According to the foreigner, there was little the team could do to stop the fire before firefighters from the Mombasa County Government could arrive.
"As a go-kart track, we have plenty of fire fighting equipment. But the way the fire developed in a closed plane and got hot quickly in a way that molten aluminium was blown out. I ordered my staff to stay far and let things happen," he told the media outlet.
In the video capturing the incident, flames billowed into the air as the plane disintegrated. The cockpit bore the brunt of the damage, with seats and other restaurant furniture utterly destroyed
Staff members were seen running away from the burning fire and watched helplessly as the plane restaurant burned to the ground.
Before the fire incident, the restaurant was extremely popular with Mombasa locals who frequently checked in for a unique experience. Visitors were typically given a tour of the plane.
The two foreigners bought the plane during an auction announced by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). The plane was sold after being abandoned at the Moi International Airport for years.
