Night fire razes dorms at Givole Secondary School in Vihiga

A night fire burnt down two dormitories on Wednesday at Givole Secondary School in Hamisi Sub-County, Vihiga County.

The fire started shortly before 10pm. A fire engine from neighbouring Kakamega County arrived an hour later.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that several students were injured during the inferno and were rushed to Vihiga County Referral Hospital.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday morning, the school's principal blamed the act on outsiders.

According to Joseline Isigi, there were strong indications that students were not involved in the act.

Ms Isigi said unknown people made their way into the school at around 9.50pm and set the makeshift dormitories ablaze.

STUDENTS NOT TO BLAME

“We cannot blame this on our students.

“Some strangers made their way into the school when the students were [doing] their night preps,” she told journalists at the school Thursday.

“There is an opening in the fence which the suspected arsonists used to gain access into the school,” said Ms Isigi.

The headteacher said no student was in the dormitories at the time of the fire.

According to the principal, the two dormitories had been temporarily set up after an influx of new students.

NEW DORMITORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

A modern dormitory is under construction at the school that will accommodate the 210 students.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Most of the students were still studying when the fire was noticed in one dormitory. The blaze later spread to a second one.

About 70 students lost their bedding, boxes, uniforms, textbooks, exercise books and money as no property was salvaged.

Givole joins the growing list of schools that have been hit by fires recently.

They include Itierio High School, Naikuru and Nyamache in Kisii County.

(READ: Naikuru School in Kisii closed after morning fire burns dorm)

(READ: Students torch dorm in Kisii over Euro match miss out)

(READ: Another school fire hours after Matiang’i visit)