Several girls were feared dead in a school fire in Kenya, local media said Thursday.

The fire broke out at around 1:00 am local time at Utumishi Girls’ Academy in Nakuru County, local media said, but was only reported at around 3:30 am, according to the Kenyan Red Cross.

Several local media reported that at least 10 girls had died, with Citizen TV saying 16 children had been killed and 74 hospitalised, but this was yet to be confirmed by police.

“First responders, ambulance crew, and our support personnel are currently on the ground,” a spokesperson for the Kenyan Red Cross told AFP, declining to give a toll.

Frantic parents were being held outside the school buildings by authorities, according to local media.

There have been many devastating school fires in Kenya, where boarding schools are common.

A fire in 2024 killed 21 boys after flames engulfed a dormitory at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County.