Photo: Omar Enrique Barahona, deceased
by Kristen Ku
COROZAL TOWN, Mon. Jan. 29, 2024
A house fire in Corozal Town early this morning, January 29, caused the death of one man.
At around 3:00 a.m., the Belize Police Department along with the Fire Department responded to an emergency call about a house fire on 7th Avenue. Upon their arrival, they saw a small house, measuring 10 feet by 15 feet, engulfed in flames. The house, constructed of zinc and wood, was completely destroyed by the blaze.
After the flames were extinguished, the charred remains of a person were found within the ruins of the house. Those remains were transported to the Corozal Community Hospital for an official death pronouncement, then to the hospital’s morgue for a postmortem examination to confirm the identity of the deceased person and cause of death.
It is believed that the dead man was Omar Enrique Barahona, a 49-year-old laborer known to have lived in the house for the past two decades. “Information is that he was there alone at the time,” confirmed Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero.
Rojelio Pedro Barahona, the brother of the suspected victim, was the one to alert the police. Living close by, he reported hearing distressing sounds and seeing the blaze, which is what prompted him to call for help.
According to his report, his brother was last seen on the evening before the fire at the Sunset Restaurant with his ex-common-law wife, Mariela Catzim, and he was reportedly consuming alcohol. Both Rojelio Barahona and Catzim have since been questioned by police and have given their formal statements.
Fire Station Supervisor, Kenneth Mortis is yet to provide a detailed report on the incident. Our efforts to reach out to him for comment before press time were unsuccessful.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
When interviewed, Rojelio Barahona said that although there had been disagreements between him and his brother, he will miss him and will remember him as a very respectful person towards him and the entire family.