On Saturday the National Fire Service responded to a blaze on Freedom Street in Belize City. The fire was started through still undetermined means and spread quickly through the wooden house. While no one was injured, all of the family's possessions were lost. Today we spoke to the Fire Service as well as the family to get the full story.
Orin Smith - Station Officer
"On Saturday, 16 June, 2018 at approximately 5:48pm the National Fire Service responded to reports of a structural fire on Freedom Street, Belize City. ON arrival on scene a 16x40 plyboard structure with flat zinc roofing was seen engulfed in flames. The south face of another plyboard structure on the immediate north of the burning structure was also being threatened by fire. Following a size up, the National Fire Service went into operations extinguishing the fire. The fire was brought under control and extinguished."
Voice of: Alicia Usher - House fire victim
"Me and my cousin and my sister middi sit own da back deh and em, my kids deh mi di outside di play and we mih sit down and talk and my 11 year old gone inside and when she gone inside she come da the door and she seh Ma your bed deh pan fire. So when I look I see smoke so I halla fi em my gentleman and he run, he ih bredda and ih cousin run in deh. And when he run in deh I run behind because I think my baby deh in deh and em when I buck the window the fire box me weh so umm my cousin seh no I have the baby, and when I gone in deh fi try grab out my purse the whole fire just spread fast. I noh undastand because nothing noh light in deh and nobody neva middi in deh, all ah my pikni meh di out yah."
Both the family and the National Fire Service are unsure about how the blaze started. Smith told us more about the investigation and also responded to claims that department showed up too late to extinguish the fire.
Orin Smith - Station Officer
"Investigations revealed that the fire originated within the East bedroom of the lost structure. The fire originated on the bed on the right side of the bedhead. No ignition source was found within the area of origin. The structure had no electrical current, there were no evidence of any poured patterns on the-within the room on the floor or outside the structure. There were no evidence of any substance or material that can be tied into the cause of the fire when the exterior grounds of the premise was searched."
Reporter
"We spoke to the man who owns the house and he claims that the fire department showed up too late. He said it was about 30 minutes after the fire had started."
Orin Smith - Station Officer
"As I've said before, the Fire Department doesn't know when your house is going to burn. I don't even think you know when your house is going to burn. We are notified of the incident when someone makes the call to us. Our knowledge then starts of the fire and our time is clocked at the point in time we get that information. Those on scene watching the fire burning, they have knowledge of the fire before the fire department. To them it appears the fire department takes a long time, but we don't know of the fire until we are notified."
Usher and her family are still trying to figure out how to move forward after such a devastating loss. If you or anyone you know want to offer assistance the family can be contacted at 6275822.
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