Fire Destroys House off Holy Emmanuel Street, Leaves Family of 12 Homeless
Disaster struck a family in the wee hours of this morning. A fire gutted the home of Kirk Davis Senior and his family, including Virginia Garnett who we met back in 2017 when she gave birth to triplets. Everything was lost in the inferno, and the family was able to escape with their lives and the clothes on their backs. Today, News Five’s Duane Moody found out from the family that the fire may have been deliberately set. Here’s his report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A family of twelve is without a roof over their heads after the house they called home was gutted by fire overnight. Kirk Davis Senior and his family were in deep slumber when they were awoken by the smell of smoke. The Davis family has been living in the area, off Holy Emmanuel Street for over ten years.
Kirk Davis Sr.
Kirk Davis Sr., Fire Victim
“We were alerted by the smoke in the house; thick black smoke, everybody choking and coughing and while my wife got up and she recognized that there was a fire occurring around the house somewhere. When we come outside, we find that underneath the house was on fire; the little store room that we have here and we noh have nothing in there that would cause any kinda fire or anything. And it is just shocking that soon this morning. We all could have…it could have been worst.”
Virginia Garnett and her young babies, triplets Marlon, Malrick and Miracle were also inside the attached structure to the rear of the building. That too was gutted but they luckily escaped unhurt. A head count, however, came up short and Davis’ eight-year-old daughter was left inside. Without thinking twice, he entered the burning structure and saved her.
Kirk Davis Sr.
“We all rushed out and wasn’t aware that she wasn’t outside as yet. Then time the whole front part of the house was already engulfed in flames. I had no choice but to go in there because if she’s going down I got to be there with her. It’s all I got. Everybody, my wife, my kids, it is all I got mien. Worked very hard to put this house together. And it’s two house that is gone: fi we family house and my daughter’s family house…she and the triplets them. You know it is very hard.”
Police and fire-fighters responded to a fire after one a.m.
Alejandro Cowo
ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
“They observed two small structures engulfed in flames. As a result, the two buildings were entirely damaged—contents and everything. What police gathered so far is that the persons inside the residence, Lowelina Garnett, who was occupying one of the structures; she was sleeping when she was awakened by smoke coming from underneath the house. As a result, she alerted the entire family who came out and escaped unhurt by the fire. Up to now, the fire department has not established what is the cause of the fire.”
Everything was lost in the inferno, which the family believes was deliberately set. All the children’s school uniforms and books were destroyed and the family escaped with only the clothes on their backs. They are now looking at replacing what was lost. In the interim, they will be living inside the small shop near the bridge on Holy Emmanuel Street.
Kirk Davis Sr.
“Only this that you see we have on; that’s it. Everything burn. All the kids school stuff, all the important documents like I.D.s, birth certificates, certification to show that the kids are achieving in school, phones, tablets, computer…everything gone. So like close to seventy-thousand dollars in everything that you see here gone. We worked very hard, we sacrificed, we’ve been doing it and we ain’t gonna give up. Right now the shop noh really function like that because it was at home that we were cooking from so now the shop become our home for the time being. A mini shelter to house everybody; the twelve of us, triplets, my daughter, six children in the house and three younger adults in the house. It’s a lot of us and we all were living comfortably in the home. So I don’t know what happened and who was trying to deprive us mien.”
Duane Moody
“Do you think that the fire was deliberately set?”
Kirk Davis Sr.
“Oh yes mien. I believe that. From the way we see the fire, we know somebody come ina di yard come set the fire on fi we house; guaranteed.”
Duane Moody
“I understand it wasn’t electrical?”
Kirk Davis Sr.
“No it is not electrical because everything was still on; the current is still on, the wires shows that it is not no faulty electricity. When we come out, the light dehn still on. The firemen had to request a bit of assistance from the electrical board company.”
608-4007 is the number to reach the family if you want to assist in any way possible. Duane Moody for News Five.
