Father charged in death of his children
The father of three children who died in last week’s fire in Belmopan has been charged. This morning thirty-six year old Francisco de Jesus Ruedas was arraigned on three counts of Manslaughter by Negligence in Belmopan Magistrates’ Court and was remanded to prison until August fourth. Around ten-fifteen Thursday night a fire broke out at Ruedas’ home on Guyana Street in the San Martin area of Belmopan. Trapped in the blaze were his three children: six year old Nahim, seven year old Heidi, and ten year old Francisca. The single father locked the children inside their home before going to a friend’s house to make tamales to sell at the market the following day. The cause of the fire is believed to be a candle, that Ruedas left burning since the house does not have electricity. A post-mortem conducted on the children certifies that they died of calcinations due to dry heat.