Fire in Dangriga leaves eleven without shelter

michael middleton

It’s the worst time of the year for two families in Dangriga who are tonight homeless. A fire this morning gutted a two-storey structure in the downtown area behind the police station. Despite efforts to contain the blaze, the property was completely destroyed, in the process scorching two other buildings that stood next to it.  Reports are that a child awoke to the sight of fire coming from an opposite bedroom in the upper flat, which was occupied by thirty-two year old Nelson Andino, his common-law wife Celia Nunez and their four children. Forty year old Edwardo Diaz, his wife Nelsy Calix and their three children lived in the lower flat and also lost everything in the blaze. The National Fire Service was immediately called in to the scene but could not save the contents of the building.  News Five spoke with Operations Officer Michael Middleton who detailed the cause of the inferno.

Michael Middleton, Operations Officer, Nat’l Fire Service

“At 7:34 this morning the fire service in Dangriga received a call of a fire at number thirty-one Lemon Street.  They responded and they found a two-storey concrete lower and wooden upper flat engulfed in flames.  They got into operation and extinguished the fire [and] after investigation we found out that the fire actually started in a bedroom in the upper flat.  The fire was actually discovered by a ten year old.  He ran out of that room to go and tell his mother that the mattress in the other room was on fire.  The owner of the house [is] deceased and it was in the care of one Mr. Bevans.  The house is occupied by six people on the lower flat, two others and four kids and five on the upper flat; two adults and three kids.”

Isani Cayetano

“Can you, at this point, say whether or not the property was insured?”

Michael Middleton

“There was no insurance on the property.  Also as a result of this fire two adjacent buildings received scorches to their exterior noh.”

Isani Cayetano

“And was the property completely destroyed as well?”

Michael Middleton

“Yeah the property where the fire started was completely destroyed.”

A total of eleven persons are left without shelter following this morning’s blaze in the south.