Fire in C.F.Z. destroys four stores
On Saturday night, things were heating up inside the Corozal Free Zone…but not in a good way. A fire that began in one of the zone’s stores quickly spread, and within minutes became a roaring blaze that threatened lives and property. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods and George Tillett are just back from Corozal with the details.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It is still not certain what caused the blaze at one of the plazas inside the Corozal Free Zone. Four establishments were extensively damaged when fire broke out at Mundial Enterprises Two, one of the shopping centres at Makao Plaza. C.F.Z.M.A.’s Chief Executive Officer, Joel Cervantes, says the fire spread quickly to the three other centres, Exclusivas Shivanil, Bananas Cafe and Riverside Company.
Joel Cervantes, CEO, C.F.Z.M.A.
“Most of these establishments had clothing, perfumes, shoes, tennis, so it spread pretty quickly, and one of them was a restaurant, so that could have caused it too, due to the butane.”
A total of three thousand people had to be evacuated from the area. It took fire services from Belize and Mexico three hours to contain the blaze. The plaza is owned by an association of Mexican investors.
Although we were given permission to film the damage when we arrived at the scene we were denied access by one of the owners who threatened to throw us out of the zone. However the board management allowed us to continue taking pictures, but from outside the compound. Cervantes says a special team has been assigned to determine what started the blaze.
Joel Cervantes
“Preliminary observations from the fire chief and our security personnel is that it seems to point to an electrical fire. The executive chairman, Mr. Marin, has assigned a committee comprised of three people, one who is an engineering expert, Mr. Jose Espat former B.E.L. manager. Then we have Mr. Wayne Armstrong, who’s the chief fireman in Corozal and then we also have a prominent businessman Mr. Winston Smiling, to do a neutral and impartial investigation to find out exactly what caused the fire.”
Only Mudial Enterprises Two, the building where the fire started was insured. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
News 5 understands that Belizean fire-fighters were greatly assisted by officials from the Fire Service in Quintana Roo who played a vital role in bringing the blaze under control.
