Family of 8 Loses Home to Fire

Fire completely destroyed a house at mile sixteen on the Stann Creek Valley Road over the weekend. A family of eight lost all their personal belongings, as well as the roof over their heads around ten-thirty on Saturday morning when a fire broke out inside their home in Steadfast Village. The owners of the property, Sandy Moreira and his common-law-wife Lorna Choc and their six children, were not at home at the time of the fire. Choc told News Five that she was over at a relative’s house when she was alerted that smoke was seen coming out of her house. She says she has no idea what caused the fire because the house didn’t have a gas tank nor did it have any electricity. Today police told the media that the fire officials are taking a second look to determine the cause of the blaze.

Alejandro Cowo

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City

“Police visited Steadfast Village where upon arrival they saw a house measuring twenty by twenty-eight of board and zinc roofing, engulfed in fire. Fire personnel arrived at the location but they were unable to save the building and after a while the building was totally destroyed. The owner is stating that they had just left from the house and they were doing some errands in the village and upon their return they observed the house on fire. They called for assistance, but by that time most of the house was already destroyed. The house is uninsured and they have not given a total value of the items and the house. At this moment there is no indication to say if it is arson. The fire department is doing a second inquiry as to what caused the fire.”

The family of eight was in the process of building a new home – but the roofing and flooring materials were all destroyed in this fire. They are asking for the public’s assistance to rebuild and they are in need of construction materials for roof and floor, as well as windows and doors. You can get in touch with them at 636-0301 or 652-4910.