Photo: Burnt remains of house at the junction of Fairweather Street and Mex Avenue
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Fri. Sept. 22, 2023
On Thursday night, September 21, while most were still enjoying Independence Day festivities, some witnessed the unsettling sight of flames engulfing an abandoned residence.
The incident unfolded shortly before 10:30 p.m. on September 21, when a fire broke out in a 36’ by 24’ elevated structure located at the junction of Fairweather Street and Mex Avenue in Belize City, leaving it completely charred.
Residents of the area said that the house had been vacant for a while, and gradually became a gathering point for drug users.
Swift action by firefighters contained the blaze, and an investigation into the cause d the fire has been launched.
Investigations revealed that, despite the house being abandoned, one room in the eastern part of the building displayed signs of recent occupation. A single bed with a mattress indicated that someone had been staying there. However, identifying the owner or the recent occupant of the building remains a challenge.
“At this time we cannot or we have not been able to identify who is the owner, whether he is alive or dead, or whether he’s in the country. We can’t even identify who was the sole person occupying the building. Probably, [in] the next couple of days that person will reveal himself, as he will then try to get assistance from the other government agencies,” explained Kenneth Mortis, the Chief Fire Station Manager of Belize City, to reporters.
Although the exact cause of the fire remains undetermined, preliminary findings suggest that the occupant of the building might have left something burning or flammable in the building, which might have triggered the incident.
Attempts to gather additional information from nearby residents have so far been unsuccessful, as they remain tightlipped.
Mortis lauded his team’s effort saying, “We know what we are here to do. We are here to provide an emergency service to the country and to the community, and we try to do it as best as we possibly can. I will give recognition to the shift that worked last night. They did a tremendous job indeed. The secondary house could have gone up in flames. We were successful in containing that fire to the one building.”
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or estimation of losses stemming from the fire.
Two days later, on Saturday, September 23, a fire engulfed two bungalow homes in Dangriga Town’s Lakeland area. The incident, which occurred shortly after 10:00 p.m., is still under investigation, and details are emerging.
An eyewitness described noticing the fire as he prepared for a shower. Seeing the flames consuming the two structures, he immediately called the fire department. Realizing an elderly woman lived in one of the affected homes, he acted swiftly to help her evacuate, ensuring her safety.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the residents lost all their possessions in the fire. We sought more information from Kenneth Mortis, the Chief Station Manager in Belize City, but he informed us that he is awaiting further details on the incident.
We also tried reaching out to the daughter of the elderly victim, but up to press time she had not responded.