Three siblings dead, one injured in nighttime blaze

Houses belonging to the suspect in the death of a dentist attached to Iten County Referral Hospital. [Stephen Rutto, Standard]

Sorrow has engulfed Gachie Village in Kiambaa Constituency, Kiambu County, following a tragic fire incident that occurred Saturday night, leaving three siblings burnt beyond recognition.

One child narrowly escaped death and is currently nursing injuries.

According to area residents, the fire broke out in the dead of night. Despite their efforts to put it out, the flames overwhelmed them.

Residents lamented that the Kiambu County fire engine arrived too late—by the time emergency services reached the scene, the fire had already consumed the entire structure, along with the lives of the three innocent children.

The house owner, John Ombasi, who works as a night guard, recounted how he was informed about the incident. Upon arrival, he found his house reduced to ashes.

The three children who perished were two girls and a boy, aged four, two, and one respectively. The only survivor, an eight-year-old boy, managed to escape.

The fire is believed to have started around 1 am. The mother of the four children, identified as Cynthia, was not at home during the incident. A neighbour, Brenda Akumu, explained that Cynthia, a single mother, had left the children alone overnight.

Area MCA Kabau Muthondu confirmed that the remains of the deceased had been taken to the Kihara Level Four Hospital mortuary, where post-mortems would be conducted.

He urged parents and guardians not to leave children unattended at night.

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.