GILGIL, Kenya
At least 16 students have died and dozens more have been injured following a fire that broke out at a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, central Kenya, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The incident was reported at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time, triggering an emergency response involving rescue teams, health workers, and local authorities.
At least 74 students have been admitted to hospital with injuries, while rescue and assessment operations continued as officials worked to account for all learners affected by the blaze.
The fire broke out inside one of the dormitories at Utumishi Girls Academy, a girls’ boarding school located in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene after reports emerged of students trapped inside the dormitory during the overnight incident.
Authorities have not yet released details regarding the cause of the fire, and investigations are expected to begin once rescue and recovery operations are completed.
The tragedy occurred in Gilgil, a town in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, located in Nakuru County, during the early morning hours when students were asleep in their dormitories.
The Kenya Red Cross said the emergency was reported shortly after 3:30 a.m., with response teams moving quickly to support evacuation and medical assistance efforts.
Medical teams transported injured students to nearby health facilities for treatment, while emergency personnel continued supporting affected families and school authorities.
The Kenya Red Cross said response operations remained active hours after the fire, with humanitarian teams assisting at the scene.
Government officials and education authorities are also expected to assess the extent of the damage and provide updates regarding affected students and school operations.
School dormitory fires have periodically raised safety concerns in Kenya and across East Africa, where questions surrounding emergency preparedness, overcrowding, building standards, and fire safety procedures have repeatedly emerged following similar incidents.
However, officials have not indicated whether any of these factors played a role in tragedy.
Authorities are expected to launch formal investigations to establish how the fire started and whether any safety measures failed.
For now, attention remains focused on medical care for survivors, support for affected families, and efforts to determine the full scale of the tragedy.
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