Gas leak causes dramatic explosion in Belize City
It’s one of those things we usually ask ourselves when we leave home: “Did I turn off the stove?” Tonight it seems one businesswoman forgot to check and what happened next could have cost lives.
Nicole Samuels, Building’s Resident/Caretaker
“I didn’t smell any gas. I didn’t smell any gas. I came downstairs and the fire was inside the building and I went to the corner of the lane and I look and the fire was inside the building but I didn’t smell any gas. So I can’t say it was because of the gas the explosive happen.”
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
At twelve-twenty on Thursday night a dramatic explosion at the Coney Drive Fast Food restaurant on Central American Boulevard caused the establishment’s zinc and wooden canopy to cave in and blew out burglar bars, aluminium window louvers and even the burglar barred back door. The powerful force sent the debris clear across the street. Luckily, at the time of the blast there were no vehicles or pedestrians in the vicinity.
Nicole Samuels
“I was upstairs when it happened and when I heard the explosion. I got up and look through my window, I saw nothing, I did not think it was downstairs because I didn’t feel any shaking or no trembling or nothing so I didn’t think that it was downstairs and then a neighbour from by my mother’s house came by and she shouted for me and banged on my door and I came out and was like what’s the problem. She’s like the building is on fire, downstairs is burning, get your kids and get out so that is what I did.”
Area residents told News Five that they heard the explosion and then saw a blaze coming from inside the restaurant.
When fire fighters arrived on the scene, they quickly extinguished a small fire burning in the right hand corner of the building. According to the National Fire Service’s Operation Manager Michael Middleton, what they discovered next has led them to believe that the explosion was caused by an opened butane line.
Michael Middleton, Operations Manager, National Fire Service
“We did our investigation, we checked all the lines and we found the line actually opened with nothing connected to it. The deep fryer it cannot cut off manually at the deep fryer, it could only be cut off at the butane tank at the back and when we got here we had to cut off the tank at the back which proves to us that the deep fryer was not cut off.”
“Because the building was closed up, the butane just continued to build up and build up until it reached an explosive point and the explosion took place and it just blow out the entire front of the building.”
But Coney Drive Fast Food’s owner Ruth Logan strongly denies that finding as she believes her business was deliberately targeted by unidentified individuals.
Ruth Logan, Owner, Coney Drive Fast Food
“Definitely for a fact we turned off our tanks in the back. There was nothing left on.”
Jacqueline Godwin
“Why do you believe that someone is out to get you?”
Ruth Logan
“Why? Because, hey guys, Coney drive does a good service. We have cheap food and we have a friendly staff, we have good food; everybody knows it, we have good food.”
“I have received information, probably I shouldn’t say exactly what is going on but I have received information that, yes, two guys were paid to put, I do not know, I think it’s a bomb in my place and that is why the explosion that you can see at the building was across the street. Somebody paid somebody to do what was done at my place. It will come out.”
“A lot of my customers, a lot of my friends are like oh Ruth why are you not sad, why are you not crying but you know what this is what makes me stronger guys and you guys, your support out there is what is making me stronger.”
But fire officials say there is no evidence to suggest that the explosion was a deliberate act.
Michael Middleton
“This dah wah typical example. So what we want to emphasize to the general public is to-either business or residence-at night to make sure you turn off your butane tank; that’s the best thing to, do turn it off, anything can happen.”
Fire officials believe after Coney Drive Fast Food closed at ten last night, it took the gas just two hours to build up before it finally exploded.
Belize City police say their investigations into the incident continue, but so far there is no evidence to suggest that it was a bomb or any other explosive device that caused the blast. Meanwhile, Ruth Logan says it will take her about a week to recover from the incident and she plans to reopen at the same location.
