Four children perish in house fire

Members of the public mill around the scene of the fire tragedy where four children died Sunday.

By Job Weru and Mohammed Doyo

Nyeri, Kenya: Tragedy hit a village in Othaya after four children, among them twins aged two-and-half years, died in a house inferno.

The children, aged between two and six years were burnt beyond recognition in their timber-built house at Gathambara village.

The fire, which started at around 3.30pm consumed property of an unknown value, with neighbours’ effort to put out the fire not yielding fruit.  David Wanyagia, a neighbour who was in a meeting at a nearby Tea Buying Centre said he heard children wail, but he suspected their parents were disciplining them.

“Later after a few minutes, I heard some women scream and that is when we saw a huge cloud of smoke billowing from the house. We rushed to the scene but the whole timber house was engulfed in fire,” said Mr Wanyagia.

By the time neighbours managed to contain the fire, the house was already razed to the ground and there was nothing to salvage, including the hapless children.  Wanyagia added that they suspected a petrol-driven generator, which was in one of the rooms could have exploded, causing the fire to spread fast.

Wanyagia said the children’s father, Ayub Kahara, who is a pastor with Heroes of Faith Church was presiding over a church service in Mukurweini, while the mother, Rose Mugure was at a nearby church.

Nyeri South OCPD Adiel Nyange said it was believed the children were left in the house unattended.

Mr Nyange said the cause of the fire was not immediately known, adding that police had launched investigations into the matter. He said the children’s bodies were found after neighbours extinguished the inferno using water and banana stalks.