In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is facing another crisis; it has to do with bush and forest fires that have been spreading all over the country. In the Cayo District, the situation has become unbearable as the fires and smoke levels threaten the health and property of residents. The fires have been […]
The forest fires are caused by a number of environmental factors such the current high temperatures. The Vaca Forest has experienced the largest wild fire affecting the biodiversity of the protected area but there was little relief this afternoon when it rained. And as the unprecedented fires started to spread closer to the village of […]
One million dollars in damages were caused by a raging farm fire on fifty acres of cacao plantation in the south. The fire keeps burning tonight, stretching beyond the villages of Columbia and San Miguel in the Toledo District. The cacao plantation is owned by Serendipity Farm and one of the owners, Lawrence Chavarria says that over […]
Aside from the cacao farm in Crique Jute, fires have been raging in Punta Gorda where overnight two houses were gutted by a blaze. Police and fire-fighters had to respond in an effort to stop the blaze from spreading to adjacent structures. While the blaze was brought under control, two structures in its path were […]
Bush fires have been popping up all over the country in recent days as the dry weather prevails. A few days ago, laws were put in place to fine persons starting bush fires. Recently, fires spread in the Cayo area, presenting health issues to residents as the thick smoke made it difficult to breathe. The […]
More than one hundred fires were recorded on a single day in Belize last week posing serious risks to human health and the wider environment. Air quality measurement tools showed that the air recorded in Belmopan on Friday morning wasn’t suitable for breathing. The western parts of the country have recorded heavy smoke that has […]
Residents in western Belize, particularly in Belmopan and San Ignacio and Santa Elena have been complaining about smog that has been lingering going on for almost two weeks. They say a number of fires have been burning and the smoke is tough to deal with. Well, the Forest Department agrees and says that too many […]
The 2019 extended drought has had an adverse impact on the agriculture industry in Belize; in fact, some farmers are still reeling from it. It caused a significant drop in production and another drought is expected this year. So how is the sugar industry preparing for the months ahead? Communications and Government Affairs Officer William […]
In other news, an Orange Walk man was found dead in a pond. Police say that no injuries were observed on the body and it is suspected that Nolasco Gonzalez, a resident of Santa Martha Village, drowned. A post-mortem is scheduled to take place to determine the cause of death. Senior Superintendent of Police Hilberto […]
The Belize Red Cross and the City Emergency Management Organization conducted three disaster simulations today in Belize City. The exercises are to complement two months of training where thirty residents did a series of sessions to learn about disaster preparedness and response. Today, that project wrapped up when they tested their knowledge to demonstrate their […]
Police and the Fire Departments are investigating a case of arson in the Gungulung area of Lake Independence. A small wooden structure belonging to Raymond Allen was gutted over the weekend and an investigation by fire officials has determined that it was deliberately set ablaze. Station Officer Kenneth Mortis says that the fire started at […]
There was a fire on Wednesday afternoon in San Joaquin Village, Corozal. The fire destroyed a wooden house occupied by Maria Aban. Today, cops said that no one was at home and a cause of the fire is not yet known. Supt. Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division “Around 1:10 p.m., information was received […]
Fire erupted at a small structure in the village of San Joaquin, Corozal District this afternoon around two o’clock. Fire fighters responded to the call of the fire, but the blaze spread quickly consuming the structure. Its cause is not known.
Former Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, upon leaving the U.D.P.’s National Party Council meeting on Saturday, was asked about his knowledge of the fatal helicopter crash that claimed the lives of four B.D.F. airmen. While Elrington held that post briefly, he was quizzed about the protocols for the kind of flight mission that […]
Five persons, including three children are left displaced after an electrical iron was left on at their house at the Corner of Jane Usher Boulevard and Curl Thompson Street in the Port Loyola area of Belize City. The iron overheated and triggered a fire that burnt down the house shortly after eleven o’clock this morning. […]
Fire victim, Westby says the setback will affect her and her three children significantly because she was not paying any rent and while she is staying with a relative now, she will eventually have to find a way to pick up the pieces. Sherie Westby, Fire Victim “I was given the house to stay […]
A couple is displaced after a fire destroyed their home on Emma Street in the Saint Martin’s area. The fire started in the living room and spread quickly to engulf the wooden structure. An investigation into the fire indicates that the blaze was as a result of an electrical overload. Station Supervisor of the National […]
A family lost everything when a fire swept through their house on Raleigh Street, Belize City. Tonight, they are appealing for assistance to rebuild their lives. Two children and their grandmother were inside when the blaze erupted in one the bedrooms of the wooden structure. It quickly engulfed the entire flat leaving only rubble behind. […]
On Wednesday, the Government and UNICEF launched the “National Protocol for Integrated Protection for Children and Adolescents during Emergency and Disaster Situations.” It’s a disaster risk reduction document that researchers have put together to deal with emergency preparedness and responses processes during times of disasters. Here’s more from the research team and UNICEF. Dr. […]
A man has drowned in northern Belize. Milton Correa, a painter of Concepcion Village in Corozal, lost his life in the New River around two-thirty on Wednesday afternoon. Correa attempted to swim cross because the Pueblo Viejo ferry was delayed as a result of renovations. Here’s more from police. Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero, Deputy […]
Fire officials say that electrical overload is the cause of the fire that left twenty-five persons without a home. Shortly after two on Tuesday afternoon, Placencia fire-fighters were called out to Seine Bight Village where two buildings, including a wooden barracks, were on fire. The property, valued at seventy-three thousand dollars, was completely destroyed. Reports […]
Just after that fire started in Seine Bight, another was reported in Hattieville around two-thirty on Tuesday afternoon. Three small structures were destroyed by the time firefighters arrived on the scene. Kenneth Mortis of the National Fire Service told the media that the fire started in the snack shop as a result of an unattended […]
There was a fire around two-thirty this afternoon in Hattieville. The blaze destroyed three small wooden structures. Fire officials managed to contain the blaze before it spread to nearby homes. AN investigation is ongoing into what caused the fire and we’ll have the official report later this week. Today, villagers on the scene said that […]
There was another fire earlier today, this time in Seine Bight village in southern Belize and as many as twelve persons were displaced. Reports are that a fire broke out at a ten-room barrack in the village and flames quickly engulfed the building. Fire officials from Placencia responded to the scene of the fire but […]
A Saint Matthews resident is dead after he apparently drowned while attempting to cross the Belize River. Roy Grinage, an employee of Santander, was heading home on Saturday afternoon and tried to swim across the river but didn’t make it. His family says that while the investigation is still underway and they are yet to […]
