Fire guts home that housed twelve persons

Fire consumed a house earlier today on Wilson Street in Belize City. Twelve family members that occupied the two storey wooden are looking for communal shelter.   Before the fire trucks arrived at the scene, the house was engulfed in a blaze. The family lost everything.  According to Nicolee Usher, who did not wish to appear on camera, although she was at home, she doesn’t know what caused the blaze that destroyed her house.

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher, Fire Victim

“Me and my bwaifriend mi di le down in di chair and afta dat I si wah smoke di come out from di room so I get up. I peep through di window and I mi think dah mi neighbor dehn. When I look, I si di smoke di come from downstairs so we run behind di yard and I see ih di come out from my auntie dehn room side. My bwaifriend bruk open di room door downstairs and I run cross to di neighbor. H run cross wid wah extinguisher fi come try help we out but di thing done. Afta dat dehn just back out and try use wata fi out it but di lee bit ah wata neva mi di help so dehn just back out and di house start to ketch fire and di whole thing start to blaze. Di fire truck come try help out and out di fire but dehn still couldn’t ah mi do nothing cause di house done mi di completely really done mi deh pan fiyah and well nobody couldn’t do nothing.”

Jose Sanchez

“Was anyone hurt?”

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher

“No, nobody neva hurt because only three ah we mi deh eena di house. Everybody else neva deh home cause my uncle and everybody mi done gone from di house so nobody neva deh home fi get hurt inna di house. ”

Jose Sanchez

“How many adults and how many children live in the house?”

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher

“Nine adults, three children.”

Jose Sanchez

“Were you able to save anything?”

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher

“No. only a few thing weh neva get bun afta di fiyah done. Wah few thing weh neva get bun, dah dat we haul out but most ah di ting dehn weh we got bun up. We wah just sort through all ah we stuff and si weh neva get bun and weh bun.”

Jose Sanchez

“What about clothes, family pictures, things that mean a lot?”

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher

“All ah den deh get bun up. Most clothes get bun, my pa and bredda everything bun up fi deh.”

Jose Sanchez

“In terms of living arrangements, have everyone been able to find somewhere to sleep for the night?”

Voice of:  Nicolee Usher

“Everybody done sort out weh pah dehn gwein. My uncle dehn gwein dah dehn ma. We have place fi sleep.”

Usher says that the three children are attending school.  One girl is in high school and only has the uniform on her back. So if anyone would like to contribute food, clothing, or even uniforms, you can call  626-1676 or 626-1324.