Three houses destroyed by fire
Dry weather and what appear to be some careless or bad-minded children have combined to make three families homeless tonight. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports on the latest senseless fire to strike Belize City.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It did not take long for fire fighters to out the flames, but there was nothing they could do to save the burning buildings that three families occupied at the corner of Louise Bevans Street and Jane Usher Boulevard.
Ted Smith, Assistant Fire Chief
“On arrival at the scene here, these structures behind me here were on fire. I was unable to identify how many of them, because they were closely compacted, it looked like one structure on this side and another on that other side on fire. But on containment and extinguishing of the fire, it appears now that there are three structures that burn down and one partially burnt.”
Neighbours say just before the fire started, two young boys were seen throwing lighted matches on this pile of garbage. Assistant Fire Chief Ted Smith would not confirm the report, only telling News 5 that they have the incident under investigation. However, that news brings little comfort to the fire victims who must start all over again. Michael Anderson says he was next door when he first noticed the flames threatening his family’s house and ran quickly to save whatever he could from the building
Michael Anderson, Fire Victim
“When one of the neighbours come to hail me, I saw behind the house was on fire and going under the house and then the house start to flame and by the time we got into the house, we could not take out anything from the back house. We could only take out some stove and so from out of the front house.”
Jacqueline Woods
“It happened quickly?”
Michael Anderson
“Yes, it happened quickly, because the board look like it was rotten.”
Jacqueline Woods
“You did not see any children playing with matches?”
Michael Anderson
“I did not see them, but the neighbour told me that two of them were playing with matches behind the yard.”
Shortly after the fire, authorities picked up an eleven and twelve-year-old boy who they believe started the fire. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
