Fire victims had locked themselves in house
The first call came in just as we were coming on the air, and by the middle of Friday’s newscast we managed to get the initial pictures and information on the air. Today, most of the evidence is in and it suggests that a sad set of circumstances led to the death of two men in a tragic Belize City blaze. News 5’s Marion Ali, who was on the scene Friday night, was back on the site this morning.
Marion Ali, Reporting
While fire officials believe that the source of Friday evening’s fire at 29 East Canal was an overheated electrical stove, evidence suggests eighty year old Mario Aguilar and his son, forty-five year old Lucho, died because they were locked in.
Henry Baizar, Fire Chief
“Those doors were iron bar doors or security doors and they were locked from outside with padlocks. When we arrived there we had to cut off one of these padlocks. The rear door was already torn down by neighbours, but by that time, it was a bit too late. These people could not come out of this place.”
Elena Duran, a neighbour who fed the men and cleaned their house, says there is reason for the locks, but that the elderly man had a key.
Elena Duran, Caretaker
“We always keep these door locked because we didn’t want Lucho go away from here.”
Marion Ali
“Was he a danger to society if he escaped?”
Elena Duran
“Well, some days. Not really dangerous; he wasn’t correct in his mind, but he wasn’t violent everyday neither. But that day before that happened, he was kinda vex all the morning.”
Fifty-three year old Robert Murray, witnessed the fire in progress.
Robert Murray, Eyewitness
“I see the guy running outside. That was Ducho, Mr Mai’s son. The guys trying to tell him to come down; he wasn’t on fire. Went back in the building, came back out again. Seemed like his hair was on fire. The guy is a little bit mental sick, right and run back in the building, confused, his dad is in there and he don’t want to leave his daddy.”
Meanwhile, Duran, who had finished her chores early and travelled north, believes she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Elena Duran
“Me feel bad because I wasn’t here. If I would be here maybe this would never happen, because that was time when I always bring food for them. Every evening between 6:30 and 7:30 I bring the old man food and the crazy man food. It was a normal life, normal day, we never expect this.”
Marion Ali for News 5.
Coincidentally, electrical power had been cut off to the house, but was restored by B.E.L. the same day of the fire.
