At least 15 schoolgirls have been killed, 73 injured after a devastating overnight fire swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru, central Kenya, police told reporters, according to local media.

Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi confirmed the deaths, warning that the toll could increase as rescue operations are underway, with the number of injuries yet to be established, the broadcaster Kenya's Citizen Television reported on Thursday.

Nakuru, one of the country’s largest urban centres in the Rift Valley region, is located about 160 kilometres (99 miles) northwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Emergency responders, police officers, and humanitarian teams were deployed to the school, as families gathered awaiting updates on missing students, the report added.

“Our first responders, ambulance crew and our psychosocial support personnel are currently on the ground supporting affected students alongside other responders and relevant authorities,” the Kenya Red Cross said in a statement.

Concerns over safety standards

As of Thursday morning, authorities had not immediately established the cause of the fire, but investigations were underway as rescue and recovery operations continued at the scene.

School fires have periodically shaken Kenya over the years, raising concerns over dormitory safety standards, overcrowding, and emergency preparedness in boarding schools.

Some previous incidents have resulted in mass casualties involving students trapped in dormitories.

In September 2024, at least 21 boys died after a fire tore through a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, one of the country’s deadliest school fire disasters in recent years.

In 2017, another dormitory fire at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi killed 10 students, with investigators later concluding the blaze had been started intentionally.