Three students injured following fire incident at Isiolo Girls High School

Three students sustained minor injuries after a fire broke out at Isiolo Girls High School in Isiolo County on Saturday night.

The Kenya Red Cross has reported that the injured were immediately attended to and psychological first aid was provided to those affected.

"Three minor injuries were attended to and psychological first aid was provided," the organisation said.

They also noted that the fire was swiftly contained by response teams, including personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Kenya Airports Authority Fire Brigade.

However, investigations to ascertain the cause of the fire are still ongoing.

One of the school’s dormitories and a laboratory reportedly caught fire, causing large flames to engulf the structures.

Video footage seen by The Eastleigh Voice showed students assembled in a safe area while firefighters battled the flames.

Isiolo Governor Abdi Hassan Guyo expressed concern over the incident, stating that his administration was mobilizing emergency responders to handle the situation.

Isiolo Girls High School is on Fire. pic.twitter.com/AV2QeVGqiG

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) September 7, 2024

"I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate fire incident at Isiolo Girls tonight. My government is working tirelessly to mobilise all necessary emergency responders to the scene, even as I urge the security team to establish the cause," Guyo said.

21 deaths

The fire at Isiolo Girls occurred just a day after a deadly blaze at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, where 21 students tragically lost their lives.

The authorities have said they are working on DNA identification as some bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

The recent rise in school fires has sparked serious concerns about the adequacy of safety protocols and emergency readiness in educational institutions across the country.

President William Ruto mourned the death of the students terming the loss as an unfathomable tragedy.

He said the incident compels the government to ensure accountability in all schools across the country and to take every action to safeguard the lives of school-going children.

He assured the affected families that every public medical resource would be at their disposal to ensure that all injured children receive the highest level of care.

"As your President, I pledge that the difficult questions that have been asked such as how this tragedy occurred and why the response was not timely will be answered; fully, frankly and without fear or favour," he said.