Fire Guts Allenby Street Property

Eight persons, members of the Herrera family, are without a roof over their heads following a fire that destroyed their house at corner of Allenby Street and East Collet Canal in Belize City. The fire which broke on Wednesday evening reportedly started from a bedroom on the upper flat, but neither the family nor the fire department can say what started it.  The lower flat housed a grocery store which fortunately was not affected by the blaze. Fire officials say that they will be commenting on the fire until Friday.  Andrea Polanco reports.

Andrea Polanco, reporting

A family of eight is tonight homeless after a fire gutted their home. Everything was destroyed. The family was unable to save anything and members were restrained from entering the burning building for their own personal safety.

Mark Inglebert Herrera

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“We lost everything. Weh I got? Look pahn me good. Weh I got? This dah all weh I got. My son nuh even got wah pants and clothes. Honestly when I reach ya the police deh nuh even want I come in come save nothing. Deh handcuff me and stop me and deal with my bredda rough. Fuh what? Ah need fu save something inna the house. We nuh got nuttn.”

The house was engulfed in flames shortly before four-thirty and firemen fully put out the blaze an hour later. They say the fire started from a bedroom in the back of the house. They believe they didn’t have to lose their entire home and their belongings in the fire, had the fire truck had water when it arrived:

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“Look pahn this, look pahn my house. Deh bally could ah mi save my house yesterday. Deh come yah without wata. Look pahn mi mommy house. Look pon me. Weh unu want I do?”

Andrea Polanco

“Awrite, so when you got here yesterday, describe to us what you saw?”

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“The fire blaze outta this room. Whole ah this room. Weh gone on with the fire department? Deh reach yah without fire. Caz deh she yuh fight fire with fiyah.”

Andrea Polanco

“So, from where did the fire start as far as you know?”

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“The bedroom. Mi bredda bedroom.”

While they lost everything in the fire, the family is lucky that no one was injured. At the time of a fire, they say a child was inside but was rescued quickly:

Andrea Polanco

“Alright, so was there anyone in the house at the time of the fire?”

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“Only kids. All ah wi di work. My ma come out and come try save the pickney weh mi deh inna the bedroom. Check it out. My aunty open the room door and the fire blaze inna fi she face and she run. My ma dah the only one with good sense. She gone down low and haul out the pickney and so said. When I get yah, like I she, the police officer di look fi hand cuff me and my bredda.”

Andrea Polanco

“Okay. So the child inside the house, was what age more or less?”

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“Eight years old.”

Andrea Polanco

“So, your mom was just outside in the yard?”

Mark Inglebert Herrera

“Yes, mammy. And then ih come try save the pickney yuh undastand mi.”

Andrea Polanco for News Five.