Friday night ended horribly in San Pedro where the weekend activities associated with the very popular Costa Maya were marred by tragedy. A fire ignited at a wooden house sweeping uncontrollably through an entire block of houses in the Boca Del Rio area. Shortfalls of the Fire Department impaired their delivery of fire fighting efforts. […]
Massive fires are not new to the island. Less than two months ago, as many as four family members were burnt to death in a horrible fire. Prior to that two infernos left hundreds of persons destitute in the prime tourism island. The troubles of the Fire Department are well-known, from tardy response time to […]
Two days after the fire, a massive humanitarian effort is underway in San Pedro to assist victims of the devastating inferno in Boca del Rio. An outpour of public assistance from local businesses, as well as concerned residents on the island, has been steady. Late this evening, clothing, non-perishable food items and bedding were being […]
The National Emergency Management Organization, in partnership with the United Nations’ Emergency Task Team in Belize, is conducting a three-day training on a number of aspects in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management. It looks at the basics of gender equality in the context of Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaption in the execution of […]
A Tropic Air seven-seater was toppled over by a freak storm at the Mundo Maya Airport in Flores, Peten, Guatemala on Tuesday evening. The aircraft, a GA-eight Airvan, was parked at the airport when strong winds and rain passed over the area. The million-dollar aircraft flipped and ended belly-up, sustaining extensive damages. Today, News Five […]
A fire destroyed a part of the storage room at the Northern Fisherman Co-operative in Belize City over the weekend. The early morning fire was quickly contained from spreading to the rest of the building. At this time, investigators are not sure what exactly caused the blaze. They say that the area where the fire […]
Tonight, three persons are the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after a fire broke out inside a home on the corner of Mopan and Mahogany Streets in Belize City, dangerously close to Brown’s Butane Gas Depot. Around four-thirty this evening, a loud explosion was heard coming from the lower flat of a two-storey concrete house, after […]
A string of fires has been affecting the island of San Pedro. Over the weekend, another erupted on the island of San Pedro and left yet another person without a roof over his head. The homeowner is Leo Martinez, popularly known as Coconut Leo, is tonight homeless after a fire around ten-thirty p.m. on Sunday, […]
A system has strengthened to become the first hurricane for the 2018 season; Beryl is not heading this way and expected to weaken before landfall. But on Thursday evening, a freak storm damaged at least one house in its direct path. It happened during the downpour in Ladyville caused by two tropical waves crossing over […]
There was a fire at the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center on Sunday evening. The blaze gutted the kitchen when forty-one-year-old Leonie Williams, a cook’s assistant working at the facility, reportedly forgot to turn off the stove after preparing supper for the kids. Police responded to the location on Saint Thomas Street shortly after five p.m. […]
Hurricanes and flooding in Belize are nothing new. Compounded with a changing climate, the frequency and intensity of these natural disasters are growing. In Belize, we have had our fair share of costly natural disasters and over the years, the focus on building resilient communities has grown. The Government of Belize and Taiwan are now […]
While residents of Corozal Town were in deep slumber, a fire erupted in the Rainbow Town area. Sometime before three this morning, the fire engulfed an abandoned building located across from the Rainbow Park. Reports are that the building once housed the Kingdom Hall of the Jehova Witnesses, but more recently was occupied by a […]
A small plywood house was destroyed by fire over the weekend in Belize City. Five persons occupy the house but no one was inside when the fire broke. Family members were socializing in the yard on Saturday when Calbert Estrada saw smoke coming from inside his house. The Fire Department responded quickly, but the fire […]
The worst fire tragedy in San Pedro occurred early on the morning of June twelfth in the Escalante Subdivision on the island where four persons were killed in the blaze. The charred remains of a mother, her two children and her niece were discovered in a corner to the rear of what was left of […]
The fire has sparked outrage by residents who say that the tragic death of the family could have been averted if appropriate fire-fighting equipment was available on the prime tourism that contributes top dollars to the economy. But there are only two small fire trucks on the island which were clearly inadequate to battle the […]
Samir Nunez and his father David survived the inferno since they were able to get out of the burning building. While the sixteen-year-old is at home with his relatives, David remains in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, having received third degree burns to most of the body. In the aftermath of […]
Guatemala was recently hit by the Volcan de Fuego that has caused the deaths of as many as one hundred and fourteen persons and untold damages to property and infrastructure. In a show of solidarity, the government has announced that it is making a financial contribution of one hundred thousand Belize dollars to our neighbour. […]
With the hurricane season now underway, concerns about the use of the new Civic Center as the Emergency Operation Center for CEMO have been put to rest. Late on Thursday, NEMO sent out a release stating that “Minister of National Emergency Management Edmond Castro and officials from NEMO and CEMO agreed that the Civic Center, […]
The Fire Department continues its investigations into the horrific fire in the Escalante Subdivision of San Pedro. Thirty-six-year-old Clarita Bacab, perished in the inferno as did her two children and niece. All died when they were unable to get out of the burning house just before three o’clock on Tuesday morning. Two fire trucks attempted […]
The death of four family members in a horrible fire in San Pedro is being felt throughout the tightly knit community in San Pedro. A mother, her two children and a niece were unable to get out as a fire blazed through their house on the Escalante Sub division of the island early on Tuesday […]
As the family grieves their sudden loss, sharp questions arise as to the state of essential services on the island. The fire trucks were not able to tackle the inferno and soon ran out of water. Residents of the prime tourism island are looking for answers as to why, despite previous destructive fires, the island […]
Sporting and other activities have already been put off at the Civic Center in Belize City where sport aficionados have been enjoying the comfort of the multipurpose facility. Today, the state of readiness of the civic center was being assessed by a number of agencies including the police department, coastguard and B.D.F. should an emergency […]
The San Pedro community has been left devastated by one of the most ferocious fires in the island and elsewhere in the country. The blaze erupted at about two-forty-five this morning at a two storey house in the Escalante subdivision. The wooden upper flat of the house was completed gutted. Trapped inside was a family […]
As the hellish fire raged, the community formed a bucket brigade to assist the Fire Department to fight the uncontrolled blaze. The fire trucks ran out of water but another most disturbing factor that contributed to the loss of life was that there was only one flight of stairs to the upper flat. There was […]
The response to the devastating fire has been fast as residents come together at this difficult time. The Town Council, Belize Red Cross San Pedro Branch and NEMO have all teamed up to assist the surviving fire victims. Four persons were killed, two injured and six others displaced when the structures they called home were […]
