Southside Resident Loses Everything in Fire
A candle is believed to have sparked a fire in the upper flat of a house in the south side of Belize City. The fire victim, Allan Locario lived alone and lost all his belongings in the blaze. The fire department arrived soon after the fire was reported and was able to contain it before spreading to the lower flat of the building. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Allan Locario is tonight without a roof over his head after a fire just after ten on Wednesday night gutted his house. The forty-nine year old lived alone in the upper flat of this two story concrete and metal structure at the corner of Louise Bevans and Freedom Streets in south side Belize City. An unattended candle is believed to have started the blaze in the upper flat. Everything was destroyed and Locario escaped with only the clothes on his back. He received minor burns to both his hands.
Allan Locario
Allan Locario, Fire Victim
“I was reading a magazine and got sleepy, fell asleep and put it down. The fire started by a candle, burn and caught to the sofa that I was sleeping on and I try to push the sofa through the door on that side, but I wasn’t strong enough to push it outside so the fire came out of hand. But the police was passing at the same time and they came and assisted me to get out of the house.”
Ted Smith, Fire Chief, National Fire Service
“On the conclusion of that fire, the upper flat was gutted by the fire.”
Ted Smith
Duane Moody
“Sir the person that was inside the building said that the fire had started by a candle. Did you guys come up with that same report as well?”
Ted Smith
“The investigation is still ongoing, however, information received from the occupant was that he did not have electricity and he had used candle to provide lights and he fell asleep. He believes the candle may have caused the fire. We are still conducting an investigation to determine the area the fire started from and where the candle was in relation to the area of origin.”
The national fire service arrived on the scene shortly after the blaze erupted and within minutes the fire was contained and extinguished. But in the process, the only wooden stairs to the upper flat collapsed injuring a firefighter.
Ted Smith
“During the fire fight, the stairs that leads to the upper flat gave way with one of our fighters who suffered minor injuries to one of his ankles.”
Allan Locario
“I don’t know if I can get some help to put a temporary stairs to get up. I’m asking for help from the area representative or anybody who can help me to get back my life together. The steps collapsed yeah with one of the fire service guys who was trying to out the fire. Thank god for these guys; they save it cause it could still be refurbished I think, or repaired.”
While he has lost his life’s work, Locario remains optimistic that he will recover.
Allan Locario
“By the grace of god, I’m going to manage and try to build back from the downstairs because the downstairs wasn’t completely burnt but I can try and do something from there.”
Locario says that the value of the house was about seventy-five thousand dollars and neither the house nor the contents were insured. Duane Moody for News Five.
