There was a fire in Belize City yesterday afternoon where a pair of old wooden buildings burned.
The news is that the buildings were the property of and occupied by an elderly couple - and if it weren't for the kindness of neighbors, they could have perished inside. And while they survived, tonight they've lost everything.
Today fire victim Shedrock McKoy told us more:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
Shedrock McKoy - 88 year old Fire Victim
"If I never had good neighbors; I would have burnt up myself"
88 year old Shedrock Mckoy and his common law wife are lucky to be alive after their wooden home on Causarina Street caught on fire on Sunday afternoon.
He had gone to buy water - for his common law, who is incapacitated:
Shedrock McKoy
"Well, I went out to get some water; I have to feed my lady. She is a Garifuna girl, we live together for 28 years but she can't walk. She took ill."
And when he came home, water, plenty of it, was needed:
Shedrock McKoy
"When I entered the back door to come in to give her the water, she said 'fire pet!' I said - but when I look out to where the machine is, far start."
That's when his neighbors came to his rescue:
Shedrock McKoy
"My lady called her, my neighbor. I have good neighbors, called from the front door. I moved her from the front door and took her over to the house and at that time in here is full like fire."
There were two wooden structures on the property both were dilapidated and burned quickly. By the time the fire department arrived it was burnt to the ground - and this is one homeowner who has no complaints about the fire department:
Shedrock McKoy
"I can't give them bad name. They didn't find the best, give the devil what he's due, and they were trying their best but the house was ripe, and you can't put a green mango with a ripe one. If the green mango drop you can still eat it but if the ripe one drop and hurt you can't, you can't enjoy it."
And while the Fire Department did its best, now he and his common-law are homeless:
Shedrock McKoy
"I don't have a shoe to put on, a cap - a hat."
Ismay Williams - Grand-Niece
"For me, it's everything because everything got burnt out for him, everything, his house hold things, his social card, all his ID, land papers. Everything's gone, it's just the cloths on his back he is left with."
For the time being, his grandniece is putting him up:
Ismay Williams
"You know we have to be there for each other as family because these things could happen to anyone of us anytime, and I'm grateful that I can give him the houseful assistance for the time being, until he tries to get back his house and things, but he really is in need of everything right now."
Shedrock McKoy
"So I just left without any hand on the body."
Anyone wishing to help the elderly couple can call 635-2374 or 651-0099.
Email
Print