Photo: Residence of Steve Myles after fire
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Dec. 4, 2024
A family of four in Belize City was left displaced after a broad daylight blaze on Tuesday, December 3, destroyed their 24-foot by 36-foot wooden home.
Photo: Steve Myles, fire vicitm
“Dis da just one ah dehn ting. We haf to got up and downs eena life, and we nuh save nothing,” said Steve Myles, a retired public servant who lived in the home with his family.
Myles recounted the moments before his life changed that day. He said that when he left his home before 11:00 a.m. to run some errands along with his wife, employees from the Ministry of Health had been fumigating inside his yard.
According to Myles, while he was doing his errands, he received several calls from his neighbors to inform him that his house was on fire; but he said that he did not take the reports seriously, because he assumed that they saw the smoke from the fumigation.
Approximately an hour later, he received more calls relaying the same message, and that was when he decided to go to his home to take a look and found the house in flames.
“Look [like] di fyah truck mi run outta waata, and ih start back again from di back, and look like ih ketch everywhere. I nuh save nothing, only di clothes I got on … we nuh save nothing. If anybody could help me with clothes, food or monetary donations, which I think wahn help me get back pan mi foot,” Myles said.
“… Maybe dis Christmas I might nuh see no Christmas, but I nuh worry bout that. Dehn wahn got lot more [Christmas], but I just wahn sohn help so I get back something pahn my place and so we got a shelter. Everything geh destroyed. I just mi get a refrigerator, and da not even wahn year yet. My wife mi get a chair. We get a new tank; ih still eena di drain weh they mi tek out and I mi just fill up with gas. So, all da gas haf to come out. I glad fah mi two dog da back neva get hurt,” he added.
Myles believes that the fire was ignited by the fumigation machine. He noted that, if not placed at a certain setting and monitored carefully, bits of flames are emitted from such machines; and while he doesn’t blame the persons doing their job for the burning of his home, he is disappointed that he doesn’t have a home to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife.
Myles’ family previously resided at Courtney Crescent for several years before relocating to the current location, where has he lived for the past 20 years with his wife, daughter, and grandson.
Myles has estimated his losses from the blaze to be about $90,000.
The family can be reached at phone numbers 615-6008 or 626-0645.
(AMANDALA Ed. Note: Steve “Jerry Collins” Myles is a former star goalkeeper on a number of champion teams in Belize City, a Class One referee for a number of years, and most recently a Match Commissioner at games of the Premier League of Belize and the Football Federation of Belize. Collins and his football teammate and fellow Medical Department employee Wellington “Spooners” Hall were together riding on a motorcycle that was hit by a car near Ladyville back in March of 2014 that left Spooners with a badly injured leg, while Collins lost a leg to amputation. Undaunted, now with a prosthetic leg, Myles has continued to perform his duties as Match Commissioner at football games. His many friends, especially from the football community, will certainly try to help Brother Steve Myles and his family to see a comfortable and Happy Christmas 2024. Stand strong, Collins!)