A fire broke out at a girls' school in central Kenya just two days after a fire at a boarding school killed 21 children at another school.
Firefighters were battling a blaze at a girls' school in central Kenya, just two days after a fire killed 21 children at another school.
The latest fire, reported on Saturday evening, took place at Isiolo Girls Secondary School in Isiolo County, central Kenya.
“Around two or three buildings are on fire,” Isiolo county communications director Hussein Salesa told AFP news agency.
National police spokeswoman Resila Onyango said a fire had been reported at the school at around 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
“Isiolo County officials responded to the scene and the fire was contained with the assistance of the Kenya Defence Forces and firefighters from Isiolo Airport,” it said in a statement.
The Kenya Red Cross also confirmed the incident, saying a fire “has been reported” and response teams have been “activated.”
Kenya’s Star news outlet reported that Saturday’s inferno “caused panic among parents and guardians, even as locals rushed to the rescue of students and property.”
The school is about 140 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Hillside Endarasha Academy, where flames engulfed a dormitory full of sleeping children Thursday night.
A fire has ripped through a boarding school dormitory, killing at least 21 sleeping children and injuring 27 others.
Do school fires occur frequently in Kenya?
Unfortunately, yes, especially in cases of fires in boarding schools. In several cases, the authorities have confirmed that the cause was arson and have generally found the students to be the culprits.
In 2016, Kenyan authorities documented 130 cases of school fires linked to student unrest. In 2018, at least 63 cases of arson were reported, according to parliamentary records.
According to the results of a study conducted by Isaac Muasya, a researcher at the University of Nairobi, the main cause of school fires is arson. Muasya's study also reveals that faulty electrical appliances, such as electric stoves, and flammable substances, such as cigarettes, also pose a significant risk.
