A devastating overnight fire at a girls’ boarding school in Gilgil has left at least 16 students dead and dozens injured, sending shockwaves through the country and drawing frantic parents to the school gates by Thursday morning.

Police in Nakuru County confirmed that the death toll from the blaze at Utumishi Girls Academy had risen to 16 by 9:10am. Authorities said 74 other students remained in hospital with injuries ranging from minor burns to critical conditions.

The fire broke out in one of the school dormitories during the early hours of Thursday. While some reports suggested the blaze began shortly after 1am, the Kenya Red Cross said the emergency was officially reported at around 3:30am.

“Following a fire incident reported at around 3:30am at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, Kenya Red Cross responded to support the ongoing emergency response,” the organisation said in a statement.

By dawn, scenes outside the school had turned chaotic. Distraught parents gathered at the gates seeking information about their children as police officers restricted access to the compound.

Some parents stood silently in small groups while others broke down in tears as ambulances moved in and out of the school grounds.

The Kenya Red Cross said emergency teams, including ambulance crews and psychosocial support personnel, had been deployed to support survivors and grieving families.

“Our first responders, E-Plus ambulance crew and our psychosocial support personnel are currently on the ground supporting affected students alongside other responders and relevant authorities,” the organisation added.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations were also dispatched to the school to begin investigations into the cause of the fire.

Authorities launched a head count shortly after the blaze was contained to establish how many students had been inside the dormitory at the time.

Rift Valley Regional Commander Masoud Munyi said access to the school would remain restricted as investigations and rescue efforts continued.

“We will allow only parents to gain access to the school as we carry out a head count,” Munyi told journalists outside the institution.

The cause of the fire had not been established by Thursday morning, though investigators were expected to examine the dormitory and interview school officials and survivors.

The tragedy has revived painful memories of past school fires in Kenya, where overcrowding, locked dormitories and safety failures have previously contributed to deadly incidents in boarding schools.

Government officials had not yet released the identities of the students who died as families awaited formal confirmation from authorities.