POLICE are investigating the cause of the fire that razed a section the hotel where Briton David Tebbut was killed and his wife Judith kidnapped in Lamu East.

Lamu East police boss Samuel Obara said three cottages at the exclusive Kiwayu Safari Resort were on Saturday burnt by an inferno that spread rapidly.

"Three makuti-thatched cottages were burnt after strong winds blew flames of fire that a worker was lighting a garbage site within the hotel," said Obara.

The fire was put out by locals from the neighbouring Mkokoni village and APs stationed in the area.He said nobody was injured since the hotel was shut down since the British couple ordeal.

Police announced estimated that property worthy more than Sh1 million was destroyed by the fire.

Gunmen shot dead David Tebbutt and kidnapped his wife Tebbut on 22 September 2011. She was taken across the border to Somalia by armed Somalia militants.

Judith and her husband were the only guests at the resort and had only arrived 24 hours earlier.

She was later freed by Somali pirates in March 22 last year after staying in captivity for six months. Her son is said to have paid £600,000 pounds to the pirates.

The cottage they couple were staying was later demolished and monument was constructed by the hotel management.

A team of the police officers was dispatched into the hotel that has 16 cottages to establish the cause of the fire that sent panic in the area.

"We have deployed a team of detectives to the hotel to ascertain the real cause of the accident but preliminary reports investigation indicate that its normal accident," said Obara.

The tourism sector in Lamu East has not recovered following after the kidnapping of British couple and disabled Marie Dedieu, 66, from France, who was taken from a beach resort in the Lamu archipelago in Manda island.