Ash samples to determine cause of fire that killed BuruBuru banker

Chief Government Pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor. [David Gichuru/Standard]

Investigators yesterday presented ash samples collected from the car of a former banker who died in a mysterious fire in Buru Buru, Nairobi.

They want Government Chemist to determine what caused the fire that killed Terance Korir, 36, last week on April 28.

A postmortem examination conducted on Tuesday by Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor ruled out the possibility of Mr Korir having been killed elsewhere and his body brought into the car and set ablaze.

Dr Oduor said examinations revealed that Korir’s respiratory tract was full of "soot", an indication he was still breathing as the fire burnt him.

After examining his intestines, Oduor concluded the man had starved for some time before he died.

More soot was found in his lungs, Oduor said.

“He inhaled a lot of soot, an indication that he took a lot of time in the car before he died... The summary is that this is a person who died in a car fire. The circumstances and what caused the fire is what we cannot tell.”

Korir was preparing to report to work when his car caught fire outside his house at about 8:30am. His family, including his wife and two children, were in the house at the time of the incident.

His colleagues told police he looked stressed. He burnt beyond recognition seated still on the driver’s seat.