Apartment Complex in Lord’s Bank Up in Smoke

In the Lord’s Bank community, an apartment complex owned by Bert Ramos, the vice chairman of the village, who is also the owner of Ramos Bus Lines, went up in smoke on Wednesday morning. The blaze started from one of the eight apartments and swept quickly through the building. The fire victims lost everything, but luckily no one was injured. Firefighters were at the scene, but could not contain the blaze which caused extensive damage to the building.  Duane Moody reports. 

Duane Moody, Reporting

As Belizeans celebrated Garifuna Settlement Day across the country, on Wednesday morning, a fire in the Lord’s Bank Community gutted an apartment complex leaving four adults and three children without a roof over their heads. The tenants and relatives of Bert Ramos were out for the day when a fire started from inside one of the unoccupied apartments on the building. It spread quickly through the structure and nothing could have been saved.

Bert Ramos, Landlord

Bert Ramos

“When I reach yah, dah because the whole place di blaze. The whole place the blaze and so my neighbor come to me and say bwai I dah the first one weh reach yah. And I mi run mi think that yo pa deh in there, but I neva know that yo pa mi done deh dah Dangriga. Ih say but nobody never deh yah and I see the place di smoke and I di holler and it finally blaze up.”

Duane Moody

“Who lived here at this apartment complex?”

Bert Ramos

“Well, I have one of my lee bredda weh live ina one ah di room; he work dah Medical. Like today, he can’t go dah work because he noh got no clothes. All his uniform and things burn up. Wah next young man weh work along with me, everything for him burn up also. And mi daughter, she lost everything along with her three kids. She has two sons and a daughter. And also mi father mi live ina di next room, but like I said, he deh dah Dangriga right now fi di holiday. Everything weh mi deh deh fi he also burn up.”

According to Ramos, he was at home when a resident in the area notified him of the disaster. By the time he got to the scene, the concrete building was engulfed in flames.

Bert Ramos

“About ten-fifteen I was at my home di bubble my pot and mi neighbor shout out and tell me fire, fire. I mi think dah mi somebody else just due to weh I dah the vice chairman dehn woulda call me and every lee thing dehn give me wah lee call. When I come outside, I ask ahn weh, I say dah back. When ih point di direction, ih say ih look like dah the apartments. And I couldn’t believe dah the apartments mi did deh pan fire.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown as fire officials continue their investigation into the blaze. But could it be a case of arson?

Bert Ramos

“From what we deh di see, we see like it start from one of the room from the next side weh noh occupied by nobody. So nobody neva  deh ina that room so I noh know how it start.”

Duane Moody

“Do you have any reason to believe that it was something set, like an arson?”

Bert Ramos

“Well people come and pass that comment for different reason. But I don’t know why anybody woulda want burn my place. I dah wah poor man, I dah grassroots; I struggle fi everything weh I have. I work hard, I am not a dishonest person and I always try help so I noh see why dehn dah want do soemthign like that to me.”

The building and its contents, which according to Ramos are valued at over one hundred thousand dollars, were not insured. Duane Moody for News Five.

Anyone who would like to assist Ramos is asked to contact him at 660-1883.