An eleven years old girl died and property of unknown value destroyed when their home at Kibumbu village in the outskirts of Chuka town was razed on Tuesday Night.
According to the neighbours who witnessed the fire, a loud bang sounding like a gunshot woke them up at around 1.00 am to find the house already in flames that burnt it into ashes.
“I thought they were gun shots coming from the neighbourhood, looking through the window I saw my neighbor trying to open the door while the smoke was covering up his house,” Ms Alice Kangai, a neighbour.
Confirming the incident, the team leader of the Tharaka Nithi County Fire and Rescue team Alex Mugambi said on arrival at the scene the whole building was on fire and they only realized that there was a child after putting it off.
“It was after putting off the fire that we found out there was a child in the house who, we believe succumbed to death after inhaling smoke in her sleep,” said Mugambi.
However due to high incidents of fire breakouts in the county, Mugambi has warned members of the society to be cautious of all the sources of the fire and in case of any incident they should contact the fire office immediately.
Two weeks ago a 15 year standard six pupil died in a fire incident in the neighbouring Moi Girls slum which burnt ten timber-built rooms into ashes.
By David Mutwiri
