Kisumu, Kenya: Three relatives were Saturday burnt to death when their house caught fire at around 11pm at Kamoke village in Kisumu County.
Five children aged between four and nine, and their 52-year-old father, Paul Ong’ala were trapped in the inferno, however, two other children escaped unhurt after they were rescued by Ronaldo Ouma, their brother.
According to Kennedy Otieno, son of the deceased, the family had just retired to bed, but shortly after, he was woken up by shouts and screams from his younger brother.
“I found the house on fire, then alerted neighbours who came with water, but our efforts to stop the fire were unsuccessful and when it stopped, we found my father and my two siblings dead,” said Otieno (pictured).
Their mother, Mary Adhiambo, says she left home at around 10pm for a funeral at a neighbouring home when the tragedy occurred.
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“I heard screams from the direction of my house and upon arrival, we found my husband and two other children lying dead,” she narrated.
Noah Oyu, a neighbour, said: “We tried fighting the fire, but were defeated, since there was not enough manpower as well as water. It is a sad thing for the family”.
Police are investigating the incident. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but Otieno believes a curtain might have caught fire which quickly spread to the roof before gutting down the house.
