Fire Investigators Have “Slight Idea” of what Caused the Fire

Fire officials continue to investigate a fire that destroyed a wooden house on Freetown Road in Belize City on Sunday night. 

The house had reportedly been in poor condition for some time.

News 5 spoke with Gladstone Bucknor, Officer Commanding of the Fire Department in Belize District, for an update on the situation.

“We had a structural fire, a two-story building that actually burnt down,” Bucknor said. “It didn’t have electricity at the time. There were people living downstairs. The upstairs is, at this present time, unknown if it was occupied.”

While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Bucknor said they have “a slight idea” of what may have caused it. Initial findings suggest the fire “seems to have started in the centre of the building.”

Bucknor confirmed that the two residents living on the ground floor lost everything in the blaze and added that the building wasn’t insured.

As we have reported, resident 32-year-old Brandon Daniels and his family were away when the fire started. 

We also spoke to Maurice Norman Francis, who says he is the owner. He said, “I get a video that the house is on fire. Then I try to make it here as fast as I can.” Francis explained that he had not been living in the house for several years. “When the hurricane came, the house was weak. It was badly damaged,” he said. He added that he had planned to return and renovate the property, but the fire destroyed it before he could.

Francis, who has been staying elsewhere, said someone was watching the house, but he had not spoken to them yet to understand the full details of what happened. According to Francis, the house was not connected to electricity. He said candles might have been used in the house for light, although he did not suspect any bad intention. 

Francis is seeking support from the public after the devastating loss. He can be contacted at 627-5308.