BELIZE CITY, Mon. Dec. 11. 2017-Pearl “Pauline” Usher, 52, a mother of 12, could only helplessly watch as her source of income went up in flames on Saturday afternoon.

Just before 1 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, police visited #1 Corner of Hicattee Street and West Collet Canal, where they observed stall # 6 of the Hyde’s Building in flames. Initial police investigations revealed that at 12:45 p.m., Alvin Oswald Coleman, 62, a Belizean businessman of Hyde’s Building, was alerted of a fire and upon making checks he observed the said stall swallowed in flames. The stall was occupied by Usher, who used it to sell apparel.

In an interview with Amandala today, Usher revealed that all the items inside the stall, stock valued in the vicinity of $600, had been destroyed in the blaze. No other stall was burned, and no one was injured in the blaze. According to Usher, she does not know what caused the fire, because the stall does not have any electricity.

She revealed that on the day of the fire, the stall had been opened, but was left unattended because she was further up the street doing some other business. The fire is believed to have originated inside the stall. Usher suspects that someone passed by and set her stall ablaze, but she cannot fathom why anyone would have wanted to attack her in such a fashion because she has not been involved in any conflicts with anyone.

For over thirty years, Usher has been an entrepreneur selling apparel. She had only relocated to the Hyde Building in the Michael Finnegan Market 7 months ago. Those wishing to assist her can contact 607-4082.