Gatundu family appeals for help after fire guts their 3-bedroom house

A family from Ng'enda village in Gatundu South, Kiambu County spent Sunday night in the cold after their house was razed down by a mysterious fire.

The family says that they lost everything in the raging fire that collapsed all their fortunes.

Theresiah Njeri, the owner of the 3-bedroomed house, said she was alone in their sitting room watching her favourite television show in the evening when the television set suddenly switched off followed by a loud bang.

When she checked what was happening, Njeri said she was confronted by a huge fire from the kitchen and a neighbouring room.

"I closed one door and used another to leave the house," she narrated.

Upon leaving the house, Njeri, a teacher, remembered her profession and land documents and decided to go back and collect them.

"When I got back, smoke covered my entire face and from then I started seeing darkness and that is when I rushed back outside and repeated the same process in futility," she said.

Njeri who lost consciousness was rescued by good samaritans who rushed her to hospital for urgent medical treatment before her husband who was at their father's place returned home.

"Apart from the clothes I'm wearing, we were left with zero items including documents. It was a rare occurrence whose cause we are yet to establish," said Njeri.

Residents led by Joe Kigara and who turned in numbers to rescue the family donated clothing and food rations to the family saying that while the Kiambu County fire officers rushed to help put out the fire, poor planning of the village leaving narrow roads delayed the arrival of fire brigades.

"Authorities should ensure that there is proper planning in our villages to enable fire fighters operate smoothly whenever such incidences occur,"Kigara who is also a community leader said.