Arson Suspected in Burrell Boom Fire
A fire consumed a property in Burrell Boom, Belize District, early on Sunday morning. The caretaker of the house was not at home when the fire broke and he and his daughters lost all their belongings in the fire. The family of Dyron Hyde believes the fire was deliberately set in the village where well known cases of arson have occurred in recent times. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A fire on Sunday morning gutted two wooden structures off the Burrell Boom Road in the Belize River Valley. Around five-thirty a.m., the property of Rebecca and Plumridge Tillett, which has been under the care of Dyron Hyde for years now, was reduced to rubble. Everything inside the three-bedroom house and storage including household items were destroyed. Thirty-seven-year-old Hyde, who was away at the time, says that his dog and her seven pups perished in the blaze.
Dyron Hyde, Fire Victim
“Everything, everything and everything totally destroyed; three-bedroom gone to nothing. All of them with dehn bed and everything inside.”
Duane Moody
“And then there was a second structure to the sign and that too went down.”
Dyron Hyde
Dyron Hyde
“Yeah, the second structure had in mi washing machine, like mi lee storeroom. From that gone…everything. So the second structure, dah mi fourteen by sixteen and that burn down to nothing; the other one, twenty-four by thirty-two, gone to nothing. My mommy called me and explained to me that my house was on fire yesterday morning about six-thirty. And it really shook and hurt me that somebody burn down mi house. I guarantee that and the next thing…”
Duane Moody
“Why would you say that someone burnt down your house?”
Dyron Hyde
“Because there is no sign that no fire or nothing coulda mi burn it. And I noh lef no electrical appliance on – nothing at all…everything was cut off because if something was on, I believe it mi wah burn from the day I went. Indeed I have some small problems with people. Noh nothing major that will make dehn come do that to me, yo understand me so that dah weh make I worry everyday now cause I noh know which one of them do it or who do it.”
Hyde maintains that his house was deliberately torched because he uses solar panels to power his house and all machines were cut off. His neighbor, Diana Gillett says she walked outside to see the house being consumed by fire and immediately alerted the police and then the Fire Service.
Voice of: Diana Gillett, Neighbor
“While I in the bathroom, I tell my son if he noh smell something di burn, but he neva answer me. But I come out and I get my vehicle key to start the vehicle and take him to Ladyville and when I come out I see the black smoke dah back. So I say to myself dah what Three-Nine di burn so early dah morning. I see flames di come on the verandah of the house and I tell my son dah house deh pan fire. And when we look, the whole back engulfed in flames. So I get ina my vehicle and I gone to the police cause the police station deh right up the street. And I tell he dah the house behind me di burn. So he say that he will be there in a few minutes, but by the time I come back, the whole house under flames.”
It is heart wrenching for Hyde and his two daughters because just over a year ago, during Hurricane Earl a tree fell atop the house and caused extensive damage. He says he was able to repair the damages then and rebuild, but this time around he is homeless.
Dyron Hyde
“I noh know weh part to start right now; ih left me wild because I just gone through one about a year ago. A tree drop down on my house and broke it down to nothing. Now this one…”
Duane Moody
“So you just replaced your house last year and now it is gone again?”
Dyron Hyde
“Done gone again…totally now. I can’t replace it back now.”
Duane Moody
“So what are you going to do?”
Dyron Hyde
“Well the only thing I can do is ask people for a lee help. If they will help me, my number is 664-3117. I am right here ready to accept unu lee help if anybody want help me or render wah lee aid or anything.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
