Another Bz. City fire: 4 families homeless
It may not have required the services of the fire department’s now famous ladder truck, but a blaze in a Belize City neighbourhood early this morning kept fire fighters more than busy. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Fire fighters were back at the scene sifting through the debris to try and determine what started the blaze at the corner of Castle and Victoria streets. The fire completely destroyed four wooden houses that were all situated in one lot and partially burnt a nearby two storey wooden house. According to the fire victims, the fire started from the upstairs of the two storey house that was in the front of the yard. Alison Broaster, who lived downstairs, says she was awakened around 3:00 this morning by a loud noise.
Alison Broaster, Fire Victim
“I was downstairs sleeping with my kids and my sister came out and just hollered, fire, fire. So only thing I could do dah haul out my kids and get out. I couldn’t save not even a panty or nothing.”
At the same time, Arlene Arnold, unaware of the danger at her front door, had just left her bed to use the bathroom. Arnold says that’s when she saw the flames shooting from her neighbour’s house.
Arlene Arnold, Fire Victim
“When I open the door wide, the house done deh under fire, the whole thing done deh under fire. We wake up everybody, everybody come out and try save thing, but we couldn’t save nothing.”
Meanwhile Sabrina Spano, who was staying in one of the houses, suffered first degree burns to both her shoulders after she ran back into the house to try and save a little boy she thought was trapped inside the burning building. Spano says after discovering that the house was empty, she tried to run back outside, but was almost trapped.
Sabrina Spano, Injured Fire Victim
“I run back outside, but the step mi done bruk down. Then I jump down on the veranda…two of the window blow up and then this whole shoulder get it. This one get it first because I mi di run over this side, then when I run back in to see if dah he, the whole thing [shoulder] get it.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The fire victims say the blaze quickly spread and there was just not enough time to save any of their possessions.”
Alison Broaster
“The fire spread really quick because the house is really rotten, so it spread fast, so I didn’t have time to save anything.”
Arlene Arnold
“It spread quick, cause when I wake up the whole house done deh under fire. Everything done deh under fire, so we couldn’t save nothing much. Not even clothes, clothes, everything gone, nothing could save.”
Mike Middleton, training officer at the National Fire Service, says it took them thirty minutes to bring the fire under control. Middleton says because the houses were all old wooden structures, there was not much the fire fighters could have done to save them.
Mike Middleton, Training Officer, National Fire Service
“On arrival at the scene, house number One Castle Street was found totally engulfed in flames. The guys got into operation and on the initial attack they wanted to concentrate directly on the house that was engulfed, but the house began to lean as it was going to collapse. So they had to change their strategy and start to protect the house on the other side that wasn’t burning as yet.”
The flames, however, did manage to reach the side of the house. Carl Conorquie, who lives upstairs, says he is grateful to the fire fighters that saved his house.
Carl Conorquie, Fire Victim
“I was in bed actually. When I feel the heat, I get up out bed, and when I realise it’s a fire behind me, I come down the stairs, pick up my little briefcase with all my documents, ship it in the car and get out the yard. Then I just stood around and see what happened.”
Jacqueline Woods
“I notice the side of your house sustained major damage, did the fire department actually help or prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the house?”
Carl Conorquie
“They did a good job, because they throw most of the water on the building that was intact.”
Fire officials say at this time, they cannot say what started the fire. But the victims say they do not believe it was just an accident.
Arlene Arnold
“I no understand how it start from upstairs because weh (where) the fire start, they noh have no electrical nothing, fi seh ketch. But they mi have a cord weh run down fi get current, so I seh maybe it must be the rain because it patch together…I noh know.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Do you believe it was an electrical fault that started this fire?”
Alison Broaster
“Well to my belief I don’t think so.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What you believe started it?”
Alison Broaster
“I don’t know, I just think it’s not electrical because the part they say that it start from, nobody lives there and no current is in there, so it couldn’t be.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What is being done today to determine the cause of the fire?”
Mike Middleton
“Well the investigation is presently underway. The guys started the investigation immediately after the fire had been extinguished and up to present the investigation is going on.”
Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
As for Sunday’s fire, which destroyed the top floor of the Paslow building, fire department investigators have still not determined the cause of the blaze.
