Man Allegedly Sets Fire to Grandmother’s House

Tonight, fire officials are investigating how a fire in Orange Walk Town burned down an elderly woman’s house early this morning. However, even before those findings are out, the allegation is that it was her mentally challenged grandson who did it. Tonight the elderly citizen, sixty-one-year-old Bernadette Allen, is distraught. She saved nothing when her house on Naranjal Street was set ablaze around three o’clock this morning. At the heart of the investigation is her grandson, twenty-six-year-old Barkley Allen, who is said to be mentally challenged. Her neighbor, Sharon Banner, told reporters today that Allen had been fearful that he would do something to harm her.

Karen Banner, Neighbour of Fire Victim

Karen Banner

“Barklay is like my son and he’s been having mental issues I would say about five years. It could be a little less but around that – and he would do good. For like three, six months you would see him hustling, doing ih lee construction work, buying his food, taking care of himself and sudden one he would just go down again, so this has been a constant battle and it is sad because his grandmother has been trying. She has made, I don’t know how many complaints to the police station. She keeps telling them he’s going to burn my house down. She keeps talking about it. Yesterday I saw her and that was her concern that Barklay would burn her house down. She took out a couple summonses to try to get him out of her yard for the same reason. They have no electricity so he charges his phone at my house right now. We give him water, we give him food. The last time he was sick I was washing for him, giving him three meals a day, but he needs more than that. Barklay is very troubled, and he needs a lot of love and a lot of support.”