Faulty Electrical Connection Cause of Weekend Fire in Belize City
In addition to the murders and shootings, as well as traffic accidents that occurred during the Easter break, a fire also destroyed a small house. The house was unoccupied when the fire spread through it, gutting all its content. The Fire Department says it had an illegal electrical connection. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Around ten-thirty on Good Friday, a fire blazed through an elevated wooden house on Jones Street in the Lake Independence area of the City. The house was occupied at the time when the inferno started, the fire gutted everything in its path. The house was the property of Belmopan resident, Cairin Reid.
Benisford Matura
Benisford Matura, Operations Officer, Nat’l Fire Service
“We’re still investigating. What happened, we had a little challenge because the owner of the building, Miss Cairin Reid, resides in Belmopan and the last tenant she had moved out about two months ago. Apparently there was just about two guys that the sister had been occupying the house at the time being. But we asked around the neighbors who lived there, but we can’t come up with the occupants at the moment.”
Firefighters were called out to the scene shortly after to extinguish the blaze, but everything was lost.
Benisford Matura
“We got a call for a Jones Street, 8292 Jones Street. Both appliances was dispatched to the area…upon arrival, a fourteen by fifteen wooden structure about four feet off the ground was already engulfed in flames and burnt away because it was a very old structure. We got into operation and extinguished the fire.”
While the building did not have electricity from B.E.L., News Five understands that an illegal drop was fed to the building. Operations Officer at the National Fire Service, Benisford Matura says it is not believed that the fire was set.
Benisford Matura
“We found out there is no electricity to the premise from B.E.L. And when it comes to what could have led to the fire, investigation is very sketchy and we still have our investigators dealing with it at this moment.”
Duane Moody
“Is it possible that it was an arson sir?”
Benisford Matura
“Information I’ve gotten so far is not leading to arson, but let’s see what the investigation will bring.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
