Belize - Belize News - Channel5Belize.com - Great Belize Productions - Belize Breaking News
Home » Crime, Featured, People & Places » Nicolas Reyes Perishes in Coffin Street House Fire
Feb 4, 2022

Nicolas Reyes Perishes in Coffin Street House Fire

A small house fire in the vicinity of Antelope Street Extension claimed the life of a handyman last night, just before the start of the curfew.  Fire officials, along with the police department, are investigating whether the death of Nicolas Reyes is the result of the property being deliberately torched.  While there is nothing to suggest that the fire started inside the house, the National Fire Service is awaiting the outcome of a thorough probe into what may have been the cause of the incident.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

 

Voice of Resident

“Ih deh right een deh bredda.  Me tell unu da man di een deh. Oh my God!”

 

A fifty-six-year-old resident of Coffin Street perished in a house fire on Thursday night.  Nicolas Reyes was inside a small, unpainted plywood structure when it caught on fire sometime around ten p.m.

 

Voice of Resident

“But da weh di fire truck deh?  …Di fire truck wah cohn when this done.  Bwai good thing da lone cement house deh side ah that, or else.”

 

By the time a fire truck arrived on the scene and efforts were made to rescue him from the blaze, it was already too late.  Not only was the structure eviscerated, its sole occupant had already met a fiery end.

 

Kenneth Mortis

Kenneth Mortis, Station Supervisor, National Fire Service

“When fire personnel arrived on the scene, we observed what was later identified as a six-by-eight wooden structure with zinc roofing on fire. Initially, as always, we deployed and extinguished this fire before it spread to this adjacent structure. During the investigation fire personnel found that this was more than just a fire.  We found the remains of an individual that had succumbed during the fire.”

 

Reyes lived inside a property that also houses a concrete two-storey structure.  At home at the time of the fire was his neighbor.

 

Voice of: Neighbor

“I live right upstairs eena di same yard.  I mi di sleep, I done mi di sleep and then my husband come tell me that Chico, cause everybody know di man as Chico, Chico house deh pan fire. And then when I get outta my bed and cohn look, I sih di whole house done unda fire because da wahn small house, just wahn lee one-man house.  And then my husband couldn’t go in fi goh sih, we di holla fi Chico.  Chico, Chico, but then no response from Chico.”

 

According to Station Supervisor Kenneth Mortis, there is a likelihood that the occupant may have died of smoke inhalation prior to his body being consumed by flames.

 

Kenneth Mortis

“We know that his structure in question had no form of electricity and we did a thorough investigation on the scene and we could have safely ruled out a candle and of course the near impossibility of a fish coil.  We will now have to work hand in hand with the police, as we believe this has now evolved into a criminal matter.  It’s an unfortunate situation last night, the way Mr. Reyes was found leads the fire personnel to believe that he was probably asleep and he simply became overcome with the smoke and he prematurely died in his sleep before the fire consumed his body.”

 

Knowing that Reyes was inside the burning structure, neighbors tried desperately to douse it with buckets of water.  The next door neighbor, whose name is being withheld, says that her husband tried his best to save Chico.  The attempt, nonetheless, was futile.

 

Voice of: Neighbor

“He just get the bucket and gaan da di outside pipe and start to full and then start to throw water, throw water and then di neighbor from di other side ah di fence start to throw water from di other side and somebody call di fire truck.”

 

An investigation involving the police department is underway to determine whether Reyes’ demise is the result of arson.

 

Isani Cayetano reporting for News Five.


Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.

Advertise Here

Comments are closed