Photo: Fire in Gardenia Village
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Tues. Jan. 9, 2023
Three house fires occurred over a period of two days—Monday, January 8, and Tuesday, January 9.
The first fire was reported on Monday in Harmonyville in the Cayo District. at about 9:40 a.m.
The police and the fire department arrived at the scene to find a residential structure engulfed in flames.
The owner of the home, Clint Castillo, a 40-year-old Belizean farmer, reported that he had left his home around 7:00 a.m. and was notified of the fire by a neighbor at about 10:00 a.m.
The house, a 20′ x 22′ plywood and wooden structure with zinc roofing, was valued at $32,000.00 BZD. The fire caused total estimated damages of $35,000.00 BZD, including the loss of the house, household items, and personal documents.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and the fire was extinguished by the fire department and thus did not spread to other structures.
Later that evening, another fire was reported, in Belize City, at the corner of New Road and Pitts Alley. The police received a distress call at approximately 7:45 p.m., reporting a fire at the Diamond Grocery and Laundromat.
Foyjur Tufaeil, a 33-year-old businessman and owner of the establishment, had locked up the business at around 6:00 p.m. He received news of the fire at his business around 7:40 p.m.
By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had caused significant damage to a bedroom in the building. The estimated cost of the damage is around $5,000 BZD. Unfortunately, the building was uninsured.
A third fire occurred on Tuesday morning in Gardenia Village, Belize District, rendering a family of three homeless.
Darlene Dawson, a mother of two, was alerted to the fire in her home by her 3-year-old son while she was in the bathroom. She and the child were the only ones at home at the time, and she was able to escape from the home with the toddler, but lost everything else, including her home and personal belongings.
Neighbors and family members attempted to assist and called the fire department. Firefighters arrived, but struggled with the water supply, ultimately leading to the destruction of the house.
Dawson is now left displaced with both her 14-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.
We reached out to the National Fire Service, which informed us that they are still investigating the cause of all three fires. There were no reported injuries in this latest incident, and the total cost of the damages is unknown.