Queen Street Baptist Church Plans Rebuild After Devastating Fire

Pastor Loyd Stanford of Queen Street Baptist Church provided an update on the church’s recovery and rebuilding efforts following the recent fire. He confirmed that the cleanup of the building went smoothly, with significant assistance from members of the Belize City Council, who helped for two days. The local community rallied together to clear the debris, and Stanford said that the congregation is fully committed to rebuilding the church.

A week ago, on March 21, a fire destroyed the historic church in Belize City, leaving the congregation and the Baptist Association of Belize in mourning. The fire started around 4:45 a.m. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the church was completely burnt down. The nearby Queen Street Baptist School also suffered water damage. Founded in 1822, the church was a beloved landmark.

Stanford told News 5 today that the new Queen Street Baptist Church will feature modern changes and is expected to cost around 2.2 million dollars. He added that an engineer was consulted, and the estimated figure provided was an initial assessment. The engineer recommended that the new structure be built stronger and modernised. A more precise estimate will be given once final project details are completed.

Stanford said that while many members and supporters are hopeful that the new building will be up and finished in 9 months time, he called it “an unrealistic expectation”. He explained that the preparatory work is still ongoing, and the funds required for construction will need to be raised through the efforts of the church, its members, and supporters.