Authorities are investigating a tragic fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, which claimed the lives of 21 pupils, and are pursuing a theory that a bulb explosion may have ignited the blaze. Investigators believe that sparks from the exploded bulb landed on a mattress, starting the fire that spread rapidly through the dormitory.
According to the pupils’ accounts, the fire originated from a bulb near the dorm entrance. The students initially attempted to extinguish the fire using water, but when their efforts failed, they began waking their schoolmates. Unfortunately, some were unable to escape and were burned beyond recognition.
The dormitory, which housed Grade 5 to Grade 8 pupils, had 48 students sleeping in 24 double-decker beds, arranged with 12 on each side of the room. Investigators suspect that inadequate safety measures contributed to the tragedy, with indications that there were insufficient escape routes and no fire extinguishers in the building.
Deputy Director of DCI John Onyango, who is leading the investigation, has confirmed that postmortem examinations will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death. Statements have already been recorded from teachers, including the matron who was present in the dormitory at the time of the fire. Survivors have also provided testimonies, recalling sparks from a bulb moments before the fire began.
The fire took more than five hours to contain, and tragically, 21 pupils between the ages of 9 and 12 lost their lives. Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura reported that 19 bodies were recovered at the scene, while two students died in hospital. Out of 156 boys in the dormitory, 135 have been accounted for, with at least 25 others hospitalized. Investigations are ongoing into the cause and safety measures at the school.
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