The BBC is reporting seventeen students have died after a dormitory at a boarding school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night. Loss of life at this level was preventable with a properly designed, installed, and serviced automatic fire sprinkler system. Organizations like Kindling, whose mission it is “to connect fire safety knowledge to local and global humanitarian and development efforts to reduce the unequal impact of fire on people, property and livelihoods in vulnerable communities around the world”, work tirelessly to make this world a safer and more resilient place for everyone. A 2023 report, Building Regulations in Sub-Saharan Africa, jointly published by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and the World Bank, highlight that buildings should provide safe, comfortable, and healthy environments for people to live and work. They are an essential component of societies and economies, housing critical infrastructure necessary to keep governments and businesses in operation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families impacted by this terrible loss.
