Property destroyed as fire guts down CFF Church in Embu

The fire broke out at about 2:00 p.m. as congregants attended a lunchtime prayer service. Although no injuries were reported, the blaze reduced the church's old sanctuary, now used as offices and Sunday school classrooms, to ashes.

CFF Bishop Dr. Harrison King'ang'i said the congregation had just concluded prayers and he was blessing worshippers when members noticed smoke billowing from the old sanctuary.

"We had just finished praying when members rushed to inform us that smoke and flames had engulfed the old church building. The fire spread rapidly, and despite desperate efforts by residents and church members to contain it, they were overwhelmed," said Bishop King'ang'i.

The bishop said the cause of the fire remains unknown and that the church lost property worth millions of shillings in what he described as a devastating blow to the congregation.

Embu County firefighters responded to the scene, but by the time they arrived, the inferno had intensified. Firefighters focused on containing the blaze to prevent it from spreading to nearby homes and other church buildings.

Kirimari Ward Administrator Ethan Kinyua, who is also a member of the church, said he received a distress call from the bishop requesting him to alert the county fire department.

"I immediately contacted the fire brigade, and they responded as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the fire had already spread extensively by the time they arrived," said Kinyua.

Responding to concerns from members of the public over the firefighters' handling of the incident, Kinyua said he sought an explanation from the county fire marshal. He was informed that after the timber structure collapsed and the main fire had been contained to prevent further spread, the firefighters left the scene. However, following requests from residents, they returned to extinguish the remaining hotspots.

Kinyua commended Kangaru residents and members of the congregation for their efforts to contain the blaze before firefighters arrived.

"The response from the community was commendable. People came with buckets of water, soil and whatever they could find to help fight the fire," he said.

Police have launched investigations to establish the cause of the fire.