One person died and property worth thousands of shillings was destroyed after a fire razed down two houses in two different incidents in Busia County on Saturday night. In the first incident, a sixty year old man was burnt beyond recognition after the house he was sleeping in at Buduta village in Samia Sub County caught fire.
Neighbours led by Felix Okumu say they woke up at midnight, after hearing noise only to find the house up in flames, “We tried to put off the fire but it had already spread in the whole house.”
Area chief MacMillan Maunda confirmed the incident saying the suspected the fire was caused by a cigarette the man was smoking, “And at the time of the incident the man was drunk and we suspect the cigarette he was smoking may have caused the fire.”
The body of the victim who is a caretaker in the home was removed from the scene and taken to Port Victoria sub county hospital by police officers who have also launched investigations into the incidence.
And in a second incident, property worth thousands of shillings was destroyed after a fire razed down a house at Kisoko village in Nambale Sub County in Busia. The owner of the house, Protus Shikuku was away when the incident occurred, and his shamba boy says he was awaken up by smoke before realizing that the house was on fire. Nothing was rescued from the house.