Seven family members die in Embu fire incident

Sorrow engulfed the sprawling Ngimari village in Embu East sub county after seven members of the same family were burnt beyond recognition in a Sunday dawn fire.

The victims, who were trapped in the fire as they slept, are a man, his wife and their three children, a son and two daughters.

The couple's two grandchildren also lost their lives during the incident which sent shockwaves across the entire village.

Embu East Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jane Waringe said it was sad the entire family had died in a mysterious fire as its cause could not be immediately established.

“It is unfortunate no one has survived to tell us what transpired,” she said.

She said detectives are at the scene trying to piece up information with a view of establishing the source of the killer fire.

She appealed to the villagers to be patient and give the detectives ample time to conclude investigations.

According to neighbours, the victims were sleeping in their timber house when the worst happened to them. They narrated how they heard screams and rushed to the scene, only to find a huge fire engulfing the building.

“On arrival at the scene we saw a huge fire burning the house and tried to put it out but we were overwhelmed. The whole building was reduced to ashes and nothing was salvaged and all members of the family perished,” said Josphat Mwendia, one of the residents.

Police, acting on a tip-off, arrived at the scene only to find that all the victims had perished.

Local leaders led by Woman Representative Ms Njoki Njeru condemned the incident and called on the investigating officers not to leave any stone unturned.

"We want to know whether the victims were fatally attacked or not.It is a sad day for Embu people and the leaders because we have lost some of our own," said Ms Njeri.

Embu County police commander Mr Daniel Rukunga promised to release the names of the victims soon.