Fire Leaves Belize City Family Without a Home

A fire in Belize City has destroyed a home, leaving nothing behind. Steve Myles, who had lived there with his wife for over twenty years, was preparing to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary. Now, those plans are on hold as the family worries about how to rebuild their lives. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but Myles, his wife, and their grandson are left with only the clothes on their backs. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Steve Myles, a retired public officer, was looking forward to celebrating twenty-five years of marriage with his wife in just a couple of weeks. They had just started stocking up on food and drinks for the big anniversary party when the disaster hit. A fire broke out and destroyed their home, leaving nothing behind.

 

Steve Myles, Fire Victim

“This morning, where I do work and retired the same health came to fog out my house. They fogged it out and around the house it looked like fire from out of the machine the fire came out. But we did not know it touched something from underneath the house. I might have locked up my house and they gone and we gone. Like half an hour or so after they call me and tell me that my house burn. I tell deh no, my house nuh the burn dah just fog they fog it out for mosquito and different things nuh, because you know with dengue and thing nuh.”

 

But it was not fog. It was an actual fire. And, as you heard Myles mention, the fire could have been started by the machine that was used to fog the building.

 

Steve Myles

“Apparently ih look like the first fire truck that was here ran out of water. So the thing start again and ih just gone and catch the back part. When I retired I added a piece to my house, split level and so that start to catch everywhere. I didn’t save anything, not even clothes, only this weh I got on. I just want seh this dah just one of those things. We have to have ups and downs in life. We didn’t save anything, if anybody could help me with anything, with clothes or food or donation money to get back on my foot, because maybe this Christmas I wont get to see the Christmas. But I am not worrying about that, because there is lot more Christmas.”

 

Steve White was relaxing in his yard when he heard about the fire. Without hesitation, he jumped into action to help the authorities extinguish the blaze that had taken over his neighbor’s house. Interestingly, White had also helped recover King Shakel Wade’s body back in October after the child tragically drowned in a canal in Belize City.

Steve White, Belize City Resident

“I the eena my yard the drop asleep and deh tell me a house the burn down and that a man the een deh. So, I jump on my bike, out of my sleep and I come round yah and assist the firemen deh with the hose, because fire mih the get high and I don’t want anyone to get hurt, because dah my community and once I could come out, I will come out. I meet the firemen the haul in the hose and the out the fire and I just gone assist and just fih assist. That is all I the try do, assist.”

 

The home was where Myles, his wife, and their grandson lived. As his wife wept over losing their home of twenty-two years, her grandson hugged her on the side of the street. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire. Tonight, the family is in urgent need of help to find a new place to live.

 

Steve Myles

“Yo could reach me at six, one, five, six, zero, zero, eight. My wife is six two, six, zero, six, four, five. Everything was destroyed. I mih just get a refridge. It is not even ayear yet. My wife get a chair. We get new tank. Ih still deh in the drain right there. I just full my tank to, so all the gas have to come out. Nothing save. Only thing save that I was glad for is that the two dogs dah back never get hurt. This Christmas I would have had my twenty-five-year anniversary with my wife. We deh together thirty-eight years. All the drinks and thing in the house just burn down. We couldn’t save nothing. Nothing at all, not even bed, nothing.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.