7 News Belize

Forest Fires Force Resort Evacuations
posted (May 4, 2011)
A rash of forest fires in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area has forced several high end resorts to evacuate their guests.

As this satellite imagery shows, there were as many as forty-four forest fires visible in the last 36 hours.

The good news is that there was finally a massive downpour in the area late this morning – as much as an inch of rain came down, dousing many of the fires.

No property was damaged but it did get scary for the workers and guests as Blancaneux yesterday when small patches of fires advanced up to their property boundary.

The resort was forced to evacuate its guests in the afternoon and the workers left last night through a landscape inflamed by multiple fires. Reports are that the 5 Sisters Lodge also had to be evacuated.

But according to one Blancaneux staffer we spoke to this morning at 8:00 it had been brought under control with the intervention of the Belize Natural Energy fire crew, Pine Lumber Company and the Spanish Lookout Fire Department.

And then, mercifully, the late morning rains came down. So the threat has subsided, but according to one expert, there are still fires burning.

But there is no present danger to the resorts and guests should be returned tomorrow after staff cleans up the buildup of ash.

Interestingly, the expert we spoke to told us that the forest fire imprint in the Belize River Valley is probably worse than the Mountain Pine Ridge area.

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