The government is set to probe the cause of a fire that broke out in a dormitory at Ngara Girls High School on Saturday evening, Transport, Housing, Urban Development, Infrastructure and Public Works PS Paul Maringa has said.
According to an earlier statement from the school management, the fire broke out in Emerald Dorm at around 6:45 pm and was put out by Nairobi County firefighters with the assistance of the school staff.
Speaking when he toured the school on Sunday, PS Maringa said the State Department will assess the cause of the fire and conduct a general safety audit of the institution.
“The way forward, as government, we have decided that as investigations go on, samples will be collected in the next two days to ascertain cause of fire. State Department will assess also the cause of the fire so that we can guide the school on safety standards,” said the PS.
“We have had quite a number of fire incidences in the past in various schools. We are looking at rolling out a system that will allow fire drills to be carried out twice a year in all government agencies.”
According to Mr. Maringa, students at the institution will not be allowed to go home as the damage from the fire was minimal, adding that parents will, however, be allowed to see their children briefly.
“The affected dorm has been cordoned off as investigations into the cause of the fire are being carried out. The dorm housed 50 students… some belongings got burnt but there was minimal damage,” he said.
He further commended the city’s fire department for responding within 20 minutes after the fire broke out and putting it out barely forty minutes later.
PS Maringa also assured the public that the fire incident will not interfere with the intake of Form One students.
The school management said no casualties were reported from the incident as the fire broke out when all students were attending evening preps.
“No student was in the dorm at that time, and a roll call has confirmed that all are safe and are accounted for,” read the statement.