Fire Destroys House in Bootsville, Family of Four Left Homeless
A family of four is today picking up the pieces after a fire totally destroyed their house located on Faber’s Road Extension in Belize City. The blaze erupted after five o’clock on Tuesday evening. The house owner, Melanie Adolphus, was outside when she detected smoke coming from inside her house. While attempts were made to save the property it was totally destroyed but the Fire Department managed to contain the fire from destroying the adjacent house. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A fire in Belize City on Tuesday evening has completely destroyed an elevated wooden structure, leaving a small family of four homeless. Sometime around five p.m., Melanie Adolphus was standing in front of her residence in the Bootsville neighborhood of Faber’s Road Extension. She was conversing with a sibling while her two kids were also outside playing in the yard when she observed smoke billowing from the roof of the building.
Melanie Adolphus, Fire Victim
Melanie Adolphus
“I was just standing out here talking with my sister and we saw smoke coming out of the kitchen window and the hall window. So I ran upstairs and I said what is it lighting my house because I know nothing no light een deh. I noh cook nothing soh I wahn know da what. When I run up da di door, I sih the flame from the ceiling between the hall, between my room and the bathroom door. It wasn’t smoke, smoke was just out here, but inside was the fire already. So I ran for water, me and my sister and my neighbor ran across the street trying to assist and it was like out of order. We couldn’t control it.”
The blaze quickly consumed the structure, destroying everything in its path.
Melanie Adolphus
“Quick as that. I had to get out because I was going to get burned, so I, dehn tell me, all my neighbors tell me to leave it, leave it, yoh can’t do nothing. So I just stand up and watched it like that. Like I said, I understand that the fire pump truck reached late because it was traffic and how wahn fire pump truck wahn reach from way over, because they were doing a drill. Di man dehn come eena dehn drill clothes. The fireman, half ah dehn neva have on dehn fyah uniform. Dehn deh eena like basketball looking type, like that dehn dress dehn dress like dehn deh da di gym.”
Nevertheless, the firemen responded to the scene and despite not being able to save the property from total devastation, they were able to prevent the spread of fire to the adjacent home. Despite the neighbor’s house being scorched, the team was able to extinguish the flames.
Melanie Adolphus
“They came and they did what they could have done. There could have been more houses because these houses are close. It could have been more houses. Mein, come on and mek wi look pan di bright part of life, no life neva gaan. Thank God fi everything still. Yes, I gotta start over but I neva want nobody else get hurt like this. This is unbelievable, right before your very eyes.”
The thirty-nine-year-old housewife has lost everything. Fortunately for the family, Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez has stepped in to lend assistance in relocating the fire victims.
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Area Rep, Port Loyola
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez
“First and foremost, after the devastating incident we have arranged to get both people to rent a place because we are in the process of transferring them to their own land anyway. So I think that the assistance will be given to them and they will be on their own and we are preparing the streets and filling the lots. That’s what we were doing before this fire anyway.”
Adolphus is simply grateful for the assistance she has been getting and is looking forward to picking up the pieces.
Melanie Adolphus
“My neighbors, I have been receiving a lot of assistance. My area rep already came to see me and take care of me like my housing-wise and stuff, somewhere to stay. He took care of me already and from that I can try to get up and do something for myself.”
Isani Cayetano reporting for News Five.
