Tala High School Dormitory Fire Leaves one student dead

MACHAKOS COUNTY:  There was grief and shock after a form one student was killed in a fire that razed down a dormitory in Tala Boys High school in Machakos County on Monday night.Six other students were admitted to Kangundo Level 4 hospital, where two are in critical condition and eight others were treated and discharged following the incident, which police suspect was an arson attack.Sources at the school said the fire broke out at around 1 am at Komarock House hostel after which students who were already asleep started scampering for safety. “I heard a loud explosion from the dormitory and later ugly clouds of smoke and fierce fire could be seen from a distance,” said a school worker who refused to be identified.

 

 A police officer with anxious parents assesses the damage caused by the fire on Komarock House dormitory in Tala High School in which a form one student died. 

 Matungulu OCPD Joseph Chesire who arrived at the school early Tuesday morning accompanied by detectives told journalists that a water container which police suspect may have ferried a ‘highly inflammable liquid’ was recovered near the scene.“So far we have not been able to make any arrests, but we found near the scene a plastic bottle whose smell suggests it contained petrol,” said Mr Chesire adding that further investigations are underway.

But the school’s principal, Edward Kivuva held a different theory about what could have started the fire, saying it could have been as a result of electric fault.However, a survey by The Standard indicated that the dormitory’s emergency exit door was permanently locked, and even reinforced with timber, ostensibly to ensure boys do not sneak out during the night.Metallic grills have also been fitted on the windows, making it impossible for occupants to escape in case of an emergency.

Dozens of anxious parents started flocking into the school as early as 7am to know the whereabouts of their children, as others headed to Kangundo Hospital to check on those who were reported missing.By the time of going to press, the school’s management was still holed up in a meeting with area deputy county commissioner Patrick Mwangi, and it was not clear if the students would be sent home.

Courtesy: The Standard Digital News, Kenya