Fire Destroys House on Christmas Day, Owner Believes Its Arson
A fire consumed a house on Christmas Day in Belize City. It happened in the Belama Phase Four area while the owner of the house, Marvin Estrada, is out of the country. Estrada says that residents of the area saw a man fleeing the scene minutes after the fire erupted. Hipolito Novelo reports.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
Thirty-year-old Marvin Estrada says that his house in the Belama Phase Four area of Belize City was set on fire and destroyed on Christmas Day.
Marvin Estrada
Marvin Estrada, Fire Victim
“At around twelve fifteen I got a call that my house was getting burned down and I asked the person if she saw what happened. She said she just saw somebody running out from the bushes, from the opposite section and I had some cameras installed. I stayed shocked because I didn’t expected something like this you know.”
And in a matter of minutes, Estrada’s elevated zinc house was completely destroyed. All the contents burnt to ashes.
Marvin Estrada
“The house itself is like thirty five thousand dollars. Everything was new, the zinc, the windows, the wood, the cement I used for inside the house. The cement that I used to hold p the house high because its swampy. I spend like thirty-five thousand dollars. I had like three Lasko fans which costs each one-twenty-five. I had like five beds because I had my niece and my nephew staying with me. My brother in law and my sister and me. So like five beds were in the house. When I was working at Dibary, I bought a new microwave, I bought a new refridge. Only the microwave cost me one hundred and fifty dollars. The refridge cost me like two thousand. I bought a new stove which cost me like one thousand two hundred. To be honest, it really burns me and I didn’t expect that the person who I suspect more of less who did it would do this. I really worked hard for this and for someone to come and destroyed it like nothing, it really hurts me.”
Estrada and his family resided on disputed land. In 2019, he along with other residents in the Belama Phase Four area staged a protest against Fen Land Development Limited and its owner Chang Shuang Lung who continues to claim that he is the legal owner of the one point six-six acres of land. In April 2021, Estrada received a summons. Chang Shuang Lung as the complainant asked the court for its intervention. The matter, we are told, remains before the court. Estrada refused to move.
Estrada, who is currently in the US in fear of his safety, shared security footage from his house taken days before the fire. The footage shows several instances of police officers visiting his residence, as many as seven police officers in one instance. In another instance, the Belama residence was visited by heavily armed police officers in this Precinct Two Quick Response Team pickup truck. Estrada says that this is not the first time that armed officers appear at his doorstep.
Marvin Estrada
“Back then I didn’t have camera right. Police use to reach at my house like one time in new months and I got tired of it. When police use to reach at my house, they didn’t bring any paper stating that why they had permission to come in my house. And I asked them nicely what is the problem and they said that they have a report that I have weapons and drugs in my house and I was shocked. When Police use to reach at my house and state about that you know drugs and weapons. I am like, I told the officers is this really the problem. I mean I am not a criminal or doing bad things like that. And then they used to take me to the station and ask me about the land issue and I asked then what this have to do with them. I know this has to go through the court and the court will decide if I have to move out not.”
Meanwhile, Estrada, who started building on the land in 2016, hopes that a proper investigation is conducted. Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
