Fire illustration
Police in Kiambu county are investigating an incident where a one-year-old girl died in a house fire that also left her three-year-old sister with burn injuries in Thika West subcounty.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening in the Kimuchu area, police said.
According to police, the children’s mother had briefly left her rental house at around 5:50 pm to visit a neighbour, leaving her two daughters, aged three and one locked inside.
When she returned a short while later, she found neighbours battling a fire that had engulfed the house.
The neighbours managed to rescue the elder one, who sustained burns to her face, ears and legs.
However, the younger child could not immediately be found.
A search inside the house led to the discovery of the girl lying unconscious on a bed with severe burns.
Both children were rushed to Thika Level 5 Hospital, where the younger one was pronounced dead on arrival. Her elder sister was treated for her injuries and later discharged in stable condition.
Police officers visited the scene and found the fire had already been extinguished, although several household items had been destroyed.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officers processed the scene before the body of the deceased was moved to General Kago mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
Police said the cause of the fire has not yet been established, and investigations are ongoing.
Elsewhere, a fire that broke out in the Southlands area of Lang'ata, Nairobi county, was contained minutes later. No casualties or fatalities reported, according to the Kenya Red Cross and police.
The fire left many homeless. Police said they are investigating the cause of the incident.
The affected appealed for help to reconstruct their structures.
Police visited the scene as part of the probe into the incident, Nairobi police commander Issa Mohamud said.
He said they were working with officials from Kenya Power to establish the cause of the fire.
