BELIZE CITY, Fri, Nov. 20, 2015–As students at St. Ignatius Primary School were trying to get back into the rhythm of classes after a holiday break; they were interrupted by smoke coming from a nearby structure. According to the school’s principal, Luren Ciego, the entire student body and staff had to be evacuated and taken to St. Ignatius Church.

A home at #79 Allenby Street was on fire and was the cause of the smoke which interrupted classes at the school.

Orin Smith of the National Fire Department said that the call reporting the fire came into the Fire Department at about 9:35 a.m. On arrival at the scene, the firefighters went to work on the fire, which they managed to bring under control and eventually extinguished.

After the flames subsided, it was discovered that the entire upper flat of the house was destroyed and the occupants were unable to retrieve any of their belongings, Smith said. Smith added that the concrete structure, which is owned by Gildardo Reyes, was uninsured.

Smith said, “The fire was a result of an electrical fault of a light above a bed in one of the rooms.”