Building catches fire on Vernon Street

An overnight inferno in Belize City gutted an abandoned property at the corners of Vernon Street and Lindo’s Alley.  Sometime after one o’clock this morning officials from the National Fire Service were called to the scene of a raging fire where they found the two-storey structure engulfed in flames.  While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, it is strongly believed that it may have been the result of vagrants, who often occupied the property.

Benisford Matura, Operations Officer, National Fire Service

“At one a.m., one-twenty-five a.m. we got a call from police of a house fire corner of Lindo’s Alley and Vernon Street.  Upon arrival a two-storey structure measuring thirty-by-forty, the top being wooden and the bottom floor concrete.  The top was totally engulfed in flames, upon arrival again the adjacent structure, two wooden structures were already starting to get scorched so we got into operation by protecting the exposure which were the other houses and also attacking the main seat of the fire.  Our conclusion was that after extinguishing the fire we found out that this building was just abandoned for like approximately two years, you know.”

Isani Cayetano

Benisford Matura

“Preliminarily, have you guys been able to determine what may have been the cause of this inferno?”

Benisford Matura

“We are still investigating.  Being that it is abandoned there is no power to it.  There are no occupants so we’re still trying to figure out what would have caused it.”

Fire officials were back at the scene today to determine the cause of the blaze.