Kirinyaga family left homeless after dawn fire razes house
By Richard Mugo, February 16, 2026A family from Thumaita village in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, is in distress after a fire razed their semi-permanent house to the ground at around 4:00 am on February 16, 2026.
Naftali Muriuki said he was awakened by extreme heat from the flames gutting the timber-made house.
The fire spread rapidly, engulfing the whole house and causing it to collapse.
However, Muriuki and his son escaped from the building without injury.
Efforts by neighbours to put out the fire proved futile, and area residents were left in shock as the fire consumed the house and everything in it.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
“There were two gas cylinders, a television set, among other things, in the house,” Naftali Muriuki, the owner of the building, said.
He added, “I managed to walk out of the house in time, wearing only a shirt that I had slept in. It is a neighbour who has helped me with the clothes I am wearing now.”
A neighbour, Agnes Wambura, said she heard something explode outside and alerted her husband.
When the two stepped out of their house, they saw a huge fire and rushed towards the scene.
“I heard an explosion outside, then heard someone scream twice, and that is when I woke my husband so that we could go and check what was going on,” she said.
Another area resident, Milka Muthoni, reported having been woken by screams and, after walking out, found the fire had spread everywhere.
She said they were forced to watch the house burn as they had no means to put it out.
They are now calling on well-wishers to assist the family as everything, including important documents, was reduced to ashes.
“We were unable to rescue anything as we were overwhelmed by the huge fire. Even the clothes he is wearing have been donated by a neighbour,” said Muthoni.
They are also calling for investigations to determine the cause of the fire.