National Fire Service Battling Bushfires

We’ve been reporting on an increasing number of bush fires popping up across Belize District.  It’s a perennial issue that presents itself during the dry season and this year, reports are that about twelve structures have been destroyed by these fires.  But Station Supervisor of the National Fire Service Kenneth Mortis told the media today that outside of wild fires, there are also negligent fires that are set by individuals and left unattended. Those persons include hunters and property owners doing land clearing.  Mortis says that the department has been trying its best to respond.

Kenneth Mortis

Kenneth Mortis, Station Supervisor, National Fire Service

“That situation has us on our Ps and Qs almost every week if I am not exaggerating. Some structure of some shape is consumed by a fire or a bush fire and it leaves the department to question where you choose to live versus how can a bush fire consume your house. I mean when we look at these open vegetation, for argument sake, they are no higher than waist-high and if you listen to our safety advise, we keep telling you to help yourself before the help arrive; you are the help until help arrive.  Create that area of low cut around the perimeter of your house and once you do that, you cut off the fuel for an oncoming bush fire. Once there is no bush to consume, the fire basically burns itself out. We are doing everything we possibly can to respond to these fires; mind you, we definitely not in a position to respond to them all. So I think what is in store for us is we probably will have a sit-down with relevant agencies that might be in a more better position to assist us. I am talking about the Forest Department, the Agriculture Department to see what we have in place to respond to these fires. We’ve been bombarded by calls as far as the pine ridge on fire versus the outskirts of Rancho Dolores through the river valley. Those are just some of the areas that we literally can’t respond to; it’s not that we don’t want to, but we have to look at it from a standpoint that if I commit all my trucks to these out-of-reach areas, then it leaves the nearest responsibility vulnerable to any other such fires that may occur.”