The Gachie fire tragedy has left a family grieving and residents of Kiambu County demanding answers after two young children died in an apartment blaze on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Their three-year-old sister survived after three men carried out a daring rescue from the balcony of the burning fourth-floor apartment.
The fire broke out at around 5 p.m. after children playing nearby noticed smoke and raised the alarm. Neighbours rushed to the building in an attempt to save the children trapped inside.
The two children, identified as Tehilla Wambui and Angela Njeri, died in the fire. A postmortem examination established carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of their deaths, according to the reports.
The dramatic rescue began when neighbours discovered that three children were trapped inside the burning apartment.
One of the rescuers, Joash Ondieki, climbed towards the balcony where the three-year-old girl was stranded as thick smoke and flames spread through the building. Kevin Bahati and another man identified as Juma helped receive and lower the child to safety.
The girl was subsequently taken for medical attention and survived the incident. The rescuers, however, were unable to reach her two siblings before the fire engulfed the apartment. The rescue has attracted widespread attention, with many Kenyans praising the men for risking their lives to save the young girl.
The children’s father, Kennedy Njau, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Njau said the children had been in their mother’s care over the weekend. He also reported that she had told him the children were locked inside the house before she left, expecting a domestic worker to arrive.
These are reported allegations, and the circumstances have not been independently established. Police are investigating the matter and are expected to establish what happened before the fire broke out.
Detectives at Kihara Police Station are investigating the incident to determine how the fire started and the circumstances in which the children became trapped inside the apartment.
The cause of the fire had not been officially established in the reports available as of October 23, 2026. Investigators will need to examine the available evidence before reaching conclusions about whether the fire was accidental or involved criminal conduct.
The investigation is also expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the children’s presence inside the apartment.
The Gachie fire tragedy has claimed the lives of two young children while their three-year-old sister survived thanks to the courage and quick actions of three rescuers.
As the family mourns Tehilla Wambui and Angela Njeri, their father continues to seek answers about the incident. Police investigations remain ongoing, and further findings are expected to clarify how the fire started and what happened before the children became trapped.
The case is a sobering reminder of the importance of child safety, fire prevention and effective emergency response in residential buildings.
