Fires destroy four buildings in Belize City

Belize City fire officials have their hands full tonight as separate blazes over the weekend destroyed four buildings and caused thousands of dollars in damage. News Five’s Alyssa Noble has the details.

Alyssa Noble, Reporting
Around four o?clock Saturday morning, firemen responded to calls for help at the popular nightspot: Sun Spree Resort on University Heights Boulevard.

Ted Smith, Asst. Fire Chief
?At zero three forty-three hundred hours, we received a call of a fire at Sun Spree Resort. The fire department responded to that fire. Upon our arrival we found three cabanas on fire. We immediately got into operation to extinguish these fires. The extent of damage: one cabana was completely destroyed, two of the cabanas the roof, thatch roofs burned off and the internal parts of these two cabanas were gutted by the fire.?

Alyssa Noble
?At this time, do you have any knowledge as to what caused the fire??

Ted Smith
?No, at this time we still do not know what caused the fire.?

And as the official investigation continues, the owners say they also have more questions than answers. During a phone conversation this morning owner Nigel Bouloy, he was at a wedding in San Pedro and does not know how the fire could have started. Total damage at Sun Spree is estimated at seventy-five thousand dollars but the buildings were insured by the Insurance Corporation of Belize.

The cabanas were unoccupied but early this morning; a Belize City family was left homeless after another fire completely consumed their Belama Phase three house.

Miguel Castillo and his son, cyclist Marlon Castillo, were at home sleeping when they awoke to the heat and intensity of the flames.

Miguel Castillo, Fire Victim
?I don?t know what time it was, but I was awakened by something. When I woke up and I just saw a brightness in my house, and when I came out from the room, that?s the time when I see the blaze. What I did, I awoke Marlon and Marlon got up, and what we did was to get outside. We couldn?t save anything because the fire was big already in the house.?

Ted Smith
?This morning, at zero three fifty-two hundred hours we received a report of a structural fire at Belama Phase three. On arrival, we found a two story building with a lower concrete and upper is wooden and zinc, and the upper section was engulfed in flames. The department immediately began operation and extinguished this fire. The cause of this fire is also under investigation at this time, so I am unable to say what caused the fire. This structure was gutted by the fire before it was brought under control, the upstairs.?

Miguel Castillo
?We lost everything that was in the house. I have everything in the house that a house is supposed to have.?

The Castillo home was also insured also with the Insurance Corporation of Belize.

Alyssa Noble reporting for News Five.