_{Photo: Burnt remains of house}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 11, 2024

A wooden structure that was situated beside Korea Electronics at the corner of Freetown Road and Douglas Jones Street in Belize City mysteriously caught on fire in the late hours of Sunday night, November 10.

Reports suggest that the fire broke out at the location around 11:30 p.m., destroying the two-story wooden structure that stood there for over two decades.

“The older the building the faster it burns. Remember, fire doesn’t wait on anyone; it consumes very fast,” said Gladstone Bucknor, Station Supervisor of the National Fire Service.

Bucknor told reporters that the structure was without electricity, thus the theory of electrical failure was excluded. Nonetheless, no concrete evidence has yet been established by those investigating the blaze.

“At this moment, we have a slight idea, but it’s still under investigation to determine the [cause of the] fire … It seems to me [the fire] may have started in the center of the building,” Bucknor said.

Residents in the area applauded the fire service’s quick response, and fortunately they were on the scene quickly because there were two butane gas [tanks] inside the charred structure, which if they had blown up would have caused an even more dire situation.

“We always inform the public: Please do not have your butane tank inside the building; it belongs outside. Having it inside poses a threat when it has a leak and causes worse damages than what you can think about,” Bucknor mentioned.

Bucknor noted that the lower flat of the structure was occupied by two persons, but neither was present when the fire occurred. Information to Amandala indicates that said persons were tasked to protect the home from being vandalized.

The building was not insured, and the estimated cost of damages is yet to be established, explained Bucknor.