Six members of a family have tragically lost their lives following a house fire incident on Sunday night in Kipkelion West, Kericho County in Kenya.
The victims – three women and three young girls – were said to be inside their home sleeping at night when the fire broke out, burning them beyond recognition.
The house was razed down, and valuable items and property burnt to ashes. The Area Assistant Chief, Ms Alice Yegon confirmed this to members of the press at the scene of the fire incident Monday morning.
“A mother and her three children perished along with her sister in the inferno, which also reduced household goods to ashes,” Ms Yegon said.
The Area Assistant Chief also said the terrible condition of roads and poor communication networks contributed to the slow response to rescue the victims when the fire broke out.
Bodies of the victims have been deposited at the mortuary at St. Vincent’s Hospital by the Police, who came to the scene of the incident Monday morning.
Some family members and residents of the village have alleged that the fire could have been caused by a solar battery explosion that met with stored petrol in the room, causing a raging fire that consumed everything within the building.
A large crowd gathered at the sad scene Monday morning, shock and grief written all over their faces as they stared at the wreckage.
Hillary Koskei, the Kipkelion West MP expressed sadness over the incident, while condoling with the families of the deceased.
“It is a sad day for the family and residents of Kipkelion West Constituency that we have lost six members in a family incident. I wish to condole with the families of the victims who perished in the inferno,” he said.
Destructive fire incidents have become a common trend in Kenya and other parts of Africa, with domestic fire accounting for the largest percentage.
This calls for serious concern and action, especially with the continually growing population, industrialisation, urbanisation and other factors that are likely to be the reasons for constant fire outbreaks.