GILGIL, Kenya — A fire at a school for girls in central Kenya has caused an unknown number of deaths, according to police, who said search teams have been deployed.

Authorities are trying to account for all the students at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area.

The fire broke out early Thursday morning in the boarding school’s accommodation section. The cause has not yet been established.

School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, with some caused by arson and others by electrical faults.

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

In 2024, 21 students burned to death in a school fire in central Kenya. President William Ruto declared three days of mourning.

In 2017, 10 students died in a school fire in the capital Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.