A student at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil Sub-county recounted the terrifying moments when a dormitory fire broke out in the middle of the night, forcing learners to jump from upper floors to save their lives.

The emotional student, who sustained fractures on both her hand and leg during the escape, was among the 69 learners rushed to St Joseph Rift Valley Hospital at around 3 a.m. on Thursday following the fire tragedy at the school.

She recalled that students had retired to bed after observing the school’s Saturday night programme as per the school’s culture on holidays, Wednesday being a Muslim holiday- Eid al-Adha.

“We normally go to bed at 9 p.m. After freshening up, everyone went to sleep. At around midnight, someone in the Stanford dorm shouted that everyone should leave the dorm as it was on fire,” she said, adding that it sent the students into panic and confusion mode as none of them knew what to do.

According to the student, panic quickly spread through the dormitory as smoke and flames engulfed evacuation routes.

“By the time I was leaving my cube, the fire had already covered the pathway between Cube 6 and Cube 7, which was the route we were supposed to use to evacuate,” she recalled.

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Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/MTAA WANGU

She noted that the thick smoke made it impossible for some students to escape through the hallway, forcing them back into their rooms.

“The smoke became too much, and some of my cubemates started suffocating. We had no option but to open the window and jump from the upper floor to the ground,” she said.

The learner said she lost consciousness after sustaining injuries during the fall.

“I ended up breaking my hand and leg. After I fell, I could not feel my feet or my hands. I passed out and only came back to my senses at Gilgil Sub-County Hospital,” she stated.

She was later transferred to St. Joseph Rift Valley Hospital, where doctors confirmed fractures after conducting X-rays.

“I am in so much pain right now psychologically, mentally, and physically. I cannot say I am okay because nothing like this has ever happened to me before,” she added.

Earlier on May 28, Boniface Mutiso, the Head of the Outpatient Department at the hospital, said the facility activated its emergency response team immediately, as ambulances started arriving with casualties.

“At around 3 a.m., we were woken up by ambulance sirens and activated our emergency team to attend to the casualties who had multiple injuries, resulting from the stampede that occurred after the dormitory caught fire,” said Mutiso.

He noted that 61 students were treated and discharged, while eight others were admitted for specialized care, eight of whom were admitted, but one student was picked up by the parent and taken to the hospital of choice.

“Most of the injuries were fractures resulting from students jumping from a height while escaping the fire. Around seven students sustained fractures,” he said.

Mutiso added that all admitted students had been in stable condition and received psychosocial support and counselling as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.

Utumishi Girls School fire survivor recounts escaping death by jumping from dorm Window

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Leleti Jassor