The family that lost three children in a fire on Tuesday night, in Nyabugogo cell of Kigali Sector, is receiving support with rent and funeral arrangements from the City of Kigali. A preliminary investigation showed that the fire outbreak, which claimed the lives of three children aged between six and four, was caused by a candle that burnt the mattress as the children were asleep, Emma-Claudine Ntirenganya, a spokesperson of the City of Kigali, told The New Times on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Fire destroys autistic children’s home in Kigali During Tuesday's power outage, the one of the children, who survived the incident, lit the candle and placed it on a chair next to the mattress on which they were lying. It went out, setting the chair alight, then ignited the mattress and eventually the entire house. One of the children ran out quickly to call for help, as the mother was still away at work, Ntirenganya said. Three children died. The family has six children, and the three who died were the youngest. Two other children, who survived, were not at home when the incident occurred. We have rented a house for the family,” she explained. The lifeless bodies of the deceased children were taken to Kacyiru Hospital for further examination. ALSO READ: No person harmed by fire incident at Makuza Peace Plaza The official added that the city will help the family get basic domestic equipment and clothing, as all their belongings were gutted by the fire. We are also working with the family to give a decent burial to the victims, she said. She noted that the date of burial had not been determined. The children's father is away from Rwanda for work, and the family members will decide where to wait for him or not,” Ntirenganya said.
