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Acting Lambwe West Location Chief Fredrick Odero said the houses were gutted in the God Jope trading centre in Mbita Subcounty.
He said the fire is suspected to have been caused by an electric fault from a solar battery that was being disconnected in one of the houses.
According to eyewitness accounts, the 12-year-old boy attempted to disconnect solar power from a battery but the act produced sparks that ignited a fierce fire.
The fire exploded in the first house and spread to the other seven adjacent houses.
Neighbours who first spotted the fire raised an alarm, those who went to extinguish the fire arrived when the fire had advanced to an inferno and they were unable to salvage anything.
Odero said the fire razed all the property that was inside the rental houses.
The boy sustained serious injuries as he fled for safety from the burning house.
Neighbours rushed the boy to Ogongo Health Centre, where he was admitted for medication.
The administrator cautioned parents to avoid leaving children to operate dangerous electrical appliances in their house when they are away.
“I urge residents to avoid leaving children without the care of an adult person in their houses. Doing so causes disasters like the one we have witnessed,” Odero said.