Three family members die in midnight house fire in Embu

Three family members were killed in a fire incident in Murara Village in Kianjokoma, Embu North. The incident happened on Tuesday, police said.

The victims, who were asleep when the blaze broke out, have been identified as 60-year-old Audecia Ruguru, her sister, 50-year-old Lucy Rwamba, and Rwamba’s 20-year-old son Rogers Gitonga, who lived with autism.

Police and witnesses said the fire erupted at around 2:00 a.m. and spread rapidly, engulfing the entire house before neighbours could mount a rescue.

Residents were jolted awake by desperate screams from the burning house and rushed to the scene in a bid to put out the flames.

The fire, however, proved too intense, trapping all three occupants inside. Their bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Police officers visited the scene and have launched investigations to establish the cause of the fire.

The victims’ bodies have been moved to the mortuary pending identification and post mortem examinations.

Meanwhile, police are investigating an incident where a two-and-a-half-year-old girl died after drowning in a fish pond near her family’s rented home in Nyawara Village, Gem Yala Sub-County, Siaya County.

Police said the incident occurred on Tuesday about 150 metres from the family’s residence.

The child had been playing outside with another minor aged two, before the two wandered towards a nearby fish pond.

According to police, the other child later returned home but did not inform anyone that the pair had gone to the pond.

The girl’s body was later discovered floating in the pond by another minor who had gone to fetch water from a nearby stream. He alerted his father, who raised the alarm, prompting neighbours to rush to the scene.

Residents attempted to rescue the child, but their efforts were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead after being retrieved from the pond.

Police visited the scene and documented the incident before the body was moved to Yala Level IV Hospital Mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning and have urged parents and guardians to closely supervise young children, especially around water bodies.