A 26-year-old patient suffering from cerebral palsy was burnt beyond recognition after a fire razed their house in Gatua area of Kiminini constituency in Trans Nzoia County on the night of Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
Confirming the incident, Milimani location chief, Gerishom Chere told K24 digital that the patient who had been left behind by her parents in the company of her three-year-old sister lost her life to the incident after efforts to save failed to bear fruits. It however remains unclear where the parents had gone.
“The incident occurred yesterday night after the girl’s parents left their house. When the girl learnt that a fire had broken out she went to bed and covered herself, making it hard to save her," Chere stated.
The chief however noted that the deceased's sister was rescued from the inferno after she headed close to the door.
The administrator additionally pointed out that the Trans Nzoia County fire engine took too long to respond to the emergency making it difficult to respond to the issue on time.
“The response from the county government disaster response team was very slow. In fact, I reached out to a local businessman who sent his firefighting equipment to put off the fire. Unfortunately, the team was unable to save the girl” he added.
Although the cause of the inferno is yet to be established, residents speculate that it might have been caused by either a candle or a lighting lamp.
The body of the deceased was taken to Kitale County Referral morgue awaiting a postmortem.
