A fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, Kenya, killed at least 17 children and injured several others, prompting calls for an investigation into safety violations as families anxiously awaited news of their loved ones.
At least 17 children died after a fire tore through their dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, central Kenya, around midnight on September 6, 2024, police reported. The blaze engulfed rooms where more than 150 students, with an average age of nine, were sleeping. The school serves approximately 800 children and is situated about 170 kilometers (100 miles) north of Nairobi.
“The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition,” national police spokesperson Resila Onyango told AFP, noting that more bodies might be found as the scene is fully processed. Several injured children were taken to a nearby hospital, while anxious families gathered at the school gates, waiting for news of their children.
“There has been very little information. They are telling us some children escaped, but we are not being told to where,” said Francis Wachira, whose daughter attends the school. Survivors wrapped in blue blankets were seen being loaded into school buses, with Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki confirming that some children were given refuge in neighboring homes but were traumatized.
One parent, Elisabeth Nyambura, expressed relief after finding her 13-year-old son, who recounted escaping through a window after seeing smoke. AFP footage revealed the dormitory’s charred remains with a collapsed corrugated iron roof. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission noted initial reports suggested overcrowding in violation of safety standards, prompting calls for an immediate investigation.
President William Ruto, attending a China-Africa summit in Beijing, extended condolences on X (formerly Twitter), urging a thorough investigation into the “horrific incident” and vowing that those responsible would be held accountable. The dormitory was cordoned off with police tape, and officers guarded all access points as the Kenyan Red Cross provided psychosocial support to affected pupils, teachers, and families.
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