The blaze erupted around 1 a.m., prompting emergency rescue operations as firefighters and police evacuated students and searched the damaged dormitory for survivors, according to Capital FM radio.

Regional police commander Samuel Ndanyi said rescue teams were continuing operations at the school, while county police official Masoud Mwinyi described the incident as “distressing and saddening” as anxious parents gathered outside the campus.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire.The tragedy has renewed concerns over school safety standards in Kenya following a series of deadly boarding school fires. In 2024, 21 students died in a dormitory blaze at a primary school in neighboring Nyeri county.

The victims, three boys and five girls aged between three and 11, were killed in what officials described as a domestic incident linked to a marital separation.Elkins’ wife, Shaneiqua Elkins, and her sister were wounded in the attack, while other family members escaped.

Authorities said Elkins died after fleeing the scene, though it remains unclear whether he was shot by police or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn said the killings had shaken the community, prompting calls for stronger measures to address domestic violence. Schools in the area brought in counselors to support students affected by the incident.Family members said the couple had been in the process of separating and were due in court on Monday. Relatives described the children as well cared for and central to their mother’s life.

Authorities said Elkins had a prior felony conviction for illegal use of a weapon in 2019, which legally barred him from possessing firearms for a period after completing his sentence.

Investigators are examining how he obtained the weapon used in the attack.Police said there was no known recent history of domestic violence involving Elkins, though he had briefly checked into a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital earlier this year, according to relatives.

The violence unfolded across two locations, with Elkins first shooting a woman in one neighborhood before targeting the home where the children were killed. One child who died was identified by local officials as his nephew.

The shooting is the deadliest in the United States since January 2024, according to data compiled by The Associated Press in partnership with USA Today and Northeastern University.

Community members gathered for vigils late Sunday, leaving flowers, candles and toys near the scene as local leaders called for renewed efforts to prevent domestic violence and gun-related tragedies.