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There was a fire this morning in Belize City. No lives were lost but two single mothers and their children are homeless. They lost all their possessions and their shelter. But could it have been the result of a faulty electrical connection by the landlord. That’s what Jacqueline Godwin tried to finds out.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
This one laundry basket of clothes is all that Nirsa Roches managed to save after the three room wooden apartment complex was completely destroyed by fire. Only two tenants were renting at the time Nirsa Roches and Merrideth Castillo. The young mothers of four children told 7News they were house sitting when a friend alerted them to the fact that the building was on fire.

Merrideth Castillo, Fire Victim
“But then I say no but then when I looked I saw the smoke and I went to the back and when I looked, everything started to burn and I went inside to try to save something and I didn’t save nothing. I came out because the heat was in my face and so I hurry came out and I got my son and I came to the gate.”

From all the indications the fire started from this room situated at the back of the compound. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire but it could have been the result of a short in this electrical wire. The apartment building had no meter; instead the landlord Martha Perez ran this electrical wire from her house at the front of the lot to the apartment building at the back. According to Merridth Castillo and Nirsa Roches for some time now they have been complaining to the landlord about problems with the wiring

Merrideth Castillo,
“We never had on nothing, nothing was on. We tired a tell this lady about those wires which touched and she doesn’t listen to we. My room catch first.”

Alfonso Noble, Guardian
“But you had faulty electricity?”

Merrideth Castillo,
”She wired it all over again but then we nuh know whe gone on, we nuh know whe gone wrong because we were sitting down and all of a sudden they told us the place is on fire and then I grabbed him and I hold him but I put him outside because I wanted to see what I could save but then the heat was in face and I couldn’t save nothing so hurry came out with my son.”

The landlord says she did have the faulty wire repaired and does not believe she is responsible.

Martha Perez, Landlord
“Because when she told me about it I checked on it and they fixed up that problem so that is not a problem, the wire is not the problem.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“What you think is the problem, what you believe caused this thing?”

Martha Perez,
“Because it could be the stove or they like to come smoke in the place so I don’t know. I don’t know what is the problem. They had electricity but it wasn’t the wire. I am very sure it wasn’t the wire. It was no kind of electrical problem.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Did they have a meter?”

Martha Perez,
“No, they didn’t.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“So how did they get light?”

Martha Perez,
“I run the wire (from) upstairs but it came from the main so it is not like it is just an extension.”

The only damage to the main building was this scalded wall. That house was insured for seventy five thousand dollars. Next door neighbour Victor Velasquez aka Flash who was home at the time of the incident also does not believe it was a result of poor electrical wiring. Surprisingly he told 7News without any reservations, that while he is sorry that the fire victims lost their possessions in the blaze, he is not sorry to see them leave the neighbourhood.

Victor Velasquez, Next Door Neighbour
“The neighbourhood will be peaceful after this day because every minute police have to be coming here every minute so it will be more peaceful now so I could say thank God for that. I won’t rejoice over it but I could rejoice that the neighbourhood will be more peaceful because this neighbourhood has always been peaceful and after this set of girls came here, we got lot of police car and I have my workshop here and it will be more peaceful for me.”

And if you found what Victor Velasquez told 7News surprising equally disturbing is that the fire victims say while the fire service responded quickly they cannot say the same when they called 911 for help.

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Do you believe the fire fighters responded quickly?”

Merrideth Castillo,
“Yes they responded quickly but then I called first and then somebody closed the phone down. I called and I don’t know if they lost reception or something but then the phone closed down in my ears.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“And that is after you told them your house is on fire?”

Merrideth Castillo,
“Yes I told them a house is on fire on Penn Road, 44 Penn Road but they cut me off and then somebody else called and then they came.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“And by the time they arrived everything was already engulfed in flames?”

Merrideth Castillo,
“The whole thing just burn up quick fast and hurry.”

Victor Velasquez,
“They did respond quickly. I went and got some buckets of water there and tried to out the fire and the heat came into my face. At least nobody died but at least I know this part of Penn Road will be more peaceful.”

Reporting for 7News, Jacqueline Godwin.

When 7News contacted the national fire service they told 7News that their investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a faulty electrical extension that they claim the tenants had been complaining about for sometime.