Families spend night in cold after huge fire razed their houses

Residents of Gakoromone in Imenti North, Meru, mill around the burnt structures on September 25, 2019. [Darlington Manyara/Standard]

A two-year-old boy is nursing burnt injuries after fire razed residential houses in Gakoromone, Meru.

Families spent the night in cold following the Tuesday night incident in which five timber houses were burnt while two people sustained burnt injuries.

The boy who suffered burnt injuries was admitted at the Meru Level Five Hospital. A man who rescued him from the house also sustained burns on his legs.

Residents claimed the fire was caused by a candle that was left in one of the houses where a minor was sleeping.

Sources said the boy had been left sleeping alone in their house when the fire broke.

They said they suspected that the burning candle fell on a mattress starting the fire.

According to Tabitha Nzai, nothing was salvaged from the houses despite efforts of firefighters from the Meru Brigade.  “l went to the shop to buy something for supper but when l returned l saw the houses were on fire. We have not managed to save anything,” said Nzai.

Frida Kananu and other residents appealed for help form the government and well-wishers following the inferno.

Kananu said most of the dwellers affected were mostly causal laborers and would have a challenge to resettle.

North Imenti Deputy County Commissioner Mahmoud Salim said police are investigating the cause of the inferno.