SANDHILL, Belize District, Mon. Jan. 29, 2018– A father of three is dead after there was an explosion inside the kitchen at his family bakery in the village of Sandhill.

Amandala has learned that Alfonso Moralez, Jr., 59, and his brother, Alberto Moralez, Sr. (no age provided), were inside the In-n-Out Bakery at around 8 a.m. on Friday when there was a loud bang.

 Maria White, a sister of the Moralez brothers, told the press that earlier that morning she had told her brother, Alberto, to check the oven because it hadn’t been working properly last week.

While Alberto was checking the oven, Alfonso stood beside him to offer assistance. Alberto reportedly turned on the switch, and that was when the oven exploded.

One of the heavy metal doors of the oven fell on Alfonso, pinning him to the floor. He had been hit in the head, and had gone unconscious.

Alberto was also hit in the head with the oven door.

The two were rushed to the BATSUB medical center at the Belize Defence Force (BDF) compound, but Alfonso succumbed to severe head injuries.

Alberto was later transported to the Belize Health Care Partners in Belize City, where he received 17 stitches in his head.

According to Deputy Fire Chief, Berisford Matura, the explosion was caused because the gas tank had been leaking and a burner had been left opened when one of the brothers lit a match to check the oven.

He revealed that the explosion was like a fireball.

The bakery had been owned and operated by Alberto for more than 5 years. His brother, Alfonso, had recently started working there less than a month before his demise. He was described as a peaceful person who enjoyed cycling.