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Fire Department: Blaze Started By Child Playing With Fire
Mon, July 21, 2014
The Fire Department is particularly concerned about this fire because they've determined that it was an accident, where a minor is believed to have been playing with fire, which got out of control.

That's the second time in two weeks that this has happened; the other case was in Hattieville. So, when we caught up with Station Manager Orin Smith today, he had a strict warning for parents.

Sharday Arnold - Fire Victim
"Around 8:40 I was in my room, I got a phone call from my aunt and after the phone call I was combing my hair - I was fixing to go out with my sister and at that time I began to smell smoke, so I assume that it was my metal fan. I plug it out of the wall but then I still continue to smell smoke. At that time I heard footsteps outside of my door, so I open my door and I saw my roommate two kids to my left and they were like aunty we need water. So I ask what do you need water for and I look to my right and their father came out of the room and he was crying asking for water. I look passed him at that time and I look into the room I saw that the entire wall was engulfed in flames, so my instinct was to run downstairs to get assistance from my ex-boyfriend who lives downstairs. So I went there and he came upstairs with a bucket and then the kids came down when he was going up. But when he got upstairs, I don't know if it was electrical wire or something pop and at that time the flames started to spread, so people just started to come out of the house and just waited for the fire engine to reach to extinguish the fire."

Orin Smith, Station Officer - National Fire Service
"The National Service received and responded to a call at #25 Prince Street Belize City. On arrival on the scene we found the upper flat of two story wooden structure engulfed in flames. The National Fire Service got into operations and extinguish that fire. Investigations revealed that the fire occurred on a bed in a room on the south west of the upper flat of that structure. The cause of the fire is classified as accidental as a result of a minor playing with a lighter tool. This is the second such fire in a very short time that has been the result of a minor playing with a lighter tool. The National takes this opportunity to once again appeal to the general public to please train the children that matches, lighters and lighted candles are tools for adults to use and not toys for children to play with. On out arrival the entire upper flat was already engulfed. We had the fire under control. There was butane tank that exhaust its content and for a while the fire went back up in a section of the building and was quickly controlled and extinguished after the tank has exhaust its supply. Naturally I would deem that building unsafe, but an engineer can more give you a direct and precise assessment on that."

Though it was too late for the house belonging to those 3 families, there were 3 other houses which were spared. The closest house was only inches away, but it was untouched. Station Officer Smith noted that as soon as the firefighters started getting the blaze under control, a valve for one of the butane tanks of the house ruptured, and that added more fuel to the fire.

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