How fire tragedy claimed grandmother, two grandchildren in Arusha

The fire, whose cause has not yet been established, broke out at dawn in the village and resulted in the deaths of three people: Ms Mkunde Efatha, 85, and her two grandchildren, Jackson Geofrey, 26, and Lerato Shabani, 11.

Narrating how the incident unfolded, he said that at dawn that day, they heard screams and, when they rushed outside, they witnessed a huge fire engulfing the house of the grandmother who was living with the two grandchildren.

He explained that residents began alerting one another but failed to rescue the victims, as they were trapped inside due to the intensity of the flames and heavy smoke spreading throughout the house.

“This woman is my neighbour; it was around 5 am when we heard cries for help. When we went outside, we were shocked to see that fire had engulfed one side of the house. We struggled to break down the door to rescue them, and when we forced it open and shone a light inside, thick smoke had filled the house,” said Mr Efatha.

“We then tried to find at least a wet cloth to cover ourselves so that we could enter and rescue those inside, but electricity started short-circuiting, and we failed to figure out how to reach them,” he added.

The witness said they moved to the other side to break the back door, but when they reached the kitchen entrance and attempted to force it open, the fire had already spread there, and the gas cylinder exploded.

“After hearing the sound of the gas explosion, we ran away. We had already called the fire brigade, who responded quickly and arrived early, and police officers also reached the scene. People were told to stay away; they extinguished the fire, but when we entered, we found they had all been burnt. We failed to rescue them; they screamed about twice,” said Mr Efatha.

“The child was shouting and calling for help, the older one struggled to breathe, and in the place where they were, the smoke had spread even though the flames had not yet reached them, but the electric shock prevented us from rescuing them. The grandmother, given her age, could not save herself; there was a moment she was shouting, saying help me rescue even my grandchildren and let me die, but the fire became intense, and we failed to find a way to save them,” he said.

The witness explained that the young man, Jackson, was struggling to break down the door, but because of the heavy smoke, he failed to get out, and after the fire was extinguished, he was found dead at the doorway.

“The young child was at the door trying to follow the grandmother into the bedroom, and also died there, and we found the grandmother burnt on the bed; their bodies were destroyed. Honestly, it is a very heartbreaking incident,” said Mr Efatha sorrowfully.

On her part, the grandmother’s daughter, Ms Neema Msuya, said the family has suffered a huge loss, noting that her daughter was studying in Standard Seven at Amani Primary School and that Jackson was her brother’s son.

“Truly, we are deeply saddened, and the truth is that it is God’s will; there is not much to add, but we ask people to cooperate with us so that we can conclude this matter and God’s will be fulfilled,” she said.

“My daughter Lerato was very close to her grandmother; that is why I did not take her away. I left her to live with her grandmother because she loved her very much. I planned to take her perhaps after she completed Standard Seven and enrolled her in secondary school,” added Ms Msuya.

Another family member, Kitia Wilderson, said that due to the nature of the tragedy, the family has no choice but to conduct the burial quickly because the bodies were severely damaged.

He said the burial will take place on Friday, May 1, 2026, in Ugweno Msangeni.

“On Friday, before we begin the journey to Ugweno, we will hold a short farewell service here. The grandmother was an elderly person aged over 80 and had lived in this area for more than 20 years, building strong ties with neighbours, relatives, and friends. We will go to lay them to rest there, and the service will be held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Msangeni Church in Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region,” detailed Ms Msuya.

“Even though the house has been burnt to such an extent, we decided to hold the mourning activities right here, build tents, and stay here until the day we take them for burial. We are also saddened to lose such young people; my uncle had just completed college. We are grieving, and we request the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the inferno,” he said.

Another neighbour, Ms Rose Mwambo, described the grandmother as a loving person who cared deeply for the surrounding community.

“Honestly, she had great love for her grandchildren and even neighbours, and whenever she heard about any incident, she was always the first to respond. We have received this news with deep sorrow because I met her on Sunday; it has hurt me greatly,” she added.

The Mjimwema Sub-village Chairman, Dalton Lema, said that on the day of the incident, he received a phone call at dawn and, when he arrived at the scene, he found the fire had already become uncontrollable.

“After receiving the information, I rushed to the scene and found others had already arrived together with firefighters. We struggled to rescue the victims, although we faced challenges with electricity. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) officials later arrived and switched off the power, and after the fire was extinguished, three bodies were found. We have received the tragedy with deep sorrow; it is something we did not expect. Losing three people at the same time is a major tragedy,” said Lema.

The Arusha Regional Fire and Rescue Force commander, Mr Oswald Mwanjegele, said the cause of the fire has not yet been identified.

“Up to this moment, the cause has not been established, but it was yesterday when we received information that in the Usa River area, there was a fire incident at the house of Mkunde Kitio, who was inside together with two other people,” said the Force’s regional chief.

“The fire broke out, and the entire house caught fire. From the indications observed, the fire started in the living room. The flames then surrounded them, and they began shouting for help from neighbours. Residents continued struggling to contain the fire, and when it became overwhelming, they called the fire brigade,” he said.