The overcrowded dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy made escape difficult for the boys, leading to the tragedy that led to death of 21 children. Details from survivors reveal the chaotic scene, though the fire’s cause remains unknown.
Survivor Brian Karanja described a dorm with three doors, one of which was locked. He woke up to find the fire spreading quickly. Students struggled to escape through the other doors, blocked by boxes and chaos. Karanja jumped out through a window as the fire began at one end of the dorm, filled with narrow corridors and wooden partitions that intensified the blaze.
Karanja noted that there was no roll call at night. After evening preps, the teacher led them to the dorm. A week later, Karanja remains traumatized. His parents took him home, just three kilometers away.
The dorm had doors at each end and one near the toilets. The patron’s cubicle, made of cardboard, was near the toilet exit. Drone footage shows an open door leading to a shoe rack and a nearby kitchen.
Investigations revealed that the dorm lacked a patron that night. The patron, from Western Kenya, had not returned to work after the school reopened. The fire tragedy broke out around 11 PM on September 5, following dinner and evening preps.
DCI officers are investigating the tragedy, with no arrests made yet. First responder Anthony Mwangi said locals struggled to control the fire, initially mistaking the boys’ screams for church singing. They eventually used water from a neighbor. The school’s rear was easily accessible, and DCI has cordoned off the dorm as a crime scene.
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