3 children killed as fire razes rental rooms in Likoni

Three children died in house fires in Likoni, Mombasa County, on Friday afternoon.

The boy and two girls, aged one to five years, died at about 1.30pm as the fire razed a block of 14 rental rooms at Jamvi la Wageni.

It started in one of the rooms, witnesses said.

Fire fighters responded but did not have access due to haphazard construction.

Likoni deputy divisional police commander Elina Wanjala said they were yet to establish the cause of the fire.

Mr Richard Oware, the father of one of the children, said the fire was overwhelming.

"There was no way you could save anything. It is a sad day for we have lost three children including my one and a half year-old son Isaac Simuyu Oware," he said.

"God gave us Isaac but decided to take him back so we say 'thank you' even though we desired to live with him. I never though he would leave us in such a horrible manner."

The father of the other two children was not in a position to speak to journalists.

Affected families asked the county and the Kenya Red Cross Society to help them as they were left homeless.

The remains were taken to Coast Provincial General Hospital mortuary.