Autopsy to establish cause of death of man killed in car fire in Buruburu

Investigators say they are yet to establish the cause of the fire that killed a man in his car in Buruburu area, Nairobi.

A postmortem exercise is planned for tomorrow (Friday) to establish what caused his death and give the next direction.

Even though Terrence Korir was burnt beyond recognition, police are optimistic the autopsy will give the way forward.

Suicide and arson are among theories the detectives are pursuing. This is based on the position the remains of the victim were found after the fire had been contained.

“He seems not to have struggled to run away from the fire. Unless he was trapped or drugged, we suspect he may have wanted to die,” said an officer handling the matter.

Police also suspect an arson attack because the engine part and trunk were not affected. The inner part of the car was damaged. The Subaru Impreza salon car was parked next to the man’s house when the incident happened on Wednesday morning.

Korir was married with two children. The neighbours and guards said the car caught fire as the man ignited it to leave for work, within a bank in the city centre.

Police said they were called by guards and management of Maimahiu court and informed there was a car on fire at about 8.30 am. They then called the fire engine to the scene. It was after they had contained the fire that they managed to identify him and the house he stayed at.

Locals said they heard screams and by the time they reached where the car was burning, the fire had engulfed the victim and could not leave. The remains were removed from the scene as investigations continue.

Buruburu Police boss Adamson Bungei said they are yet to know the cause of the fire. He added preliminary analysis of the wreckage showed only the inner part was damaged killing the man who was seated in the driver’s seat.

“The engine and rear part of the car is intact and the fire concentrated inside. We don’t know what happened but experts are on the case for now,” said Bungei.

He said the witnesses said there was a brief explosion from the car as it caught fire. Bungei said the experts carried samples from the car to establish what caused the fire.

Shocked neigbours congregated around the car before it was removed to the local police station and body taken to the mortuary.