This afternoon a Belize City homeowner in the Gungulung area lost everything when her home burned down. But, it's our headline tonight because the Belizean American homeowner Sonya Harris says her nephew did it. And why? She claims she stopped him from selling weed at her house where he had been living rent-free for two years.
7news was on the scene this afternoon at 1:00 and here's what we found:...
Courtney Weatherburne reporting
This dramatic scene on Holy Emmanuel Street in the Gungulung area said it all - there was nothing the fire department could do to save anything here - all they could do was try to keep it from spreading to other buildings.
While police cleared the area the fire was brought under control relatively quickly and soon enough the flames turned into smoke.
Still neighbors looked on because it was an emotional scene for the homeowners, who lost everything in the fire. We soon found out why there was so much rage, when Sonya Harris publicly erupted.
Sonya Harris, Came For Vacation, Home Burned Down
"You go and look for my nephew because I will f^*#@ kill him today. I am telling you one time that it is my nephew."
She continued like this for some time - and as time went on - she became more enraged and had to be consoled by police.
But none of it helped, her anger was unabated, she shrieked in the street -and it only got worse when she met this elder relative who told her she didn't learn and that she should have reported her nephew's threats to the police.
The public explosion continued - and briefly, it looked as if she would faint. She spoke plainly about the motive:
Sonya Harris, Came For Vacation, Home Burned Down
"They better get him before I get him because I will kill him - because I made his woman gone. All my passport and everything, all my things..... I will kill him." (Crying)
Her siblings could not console or calm her. And in the end all they could do was hold her.
Sonya Harris, Came For Vacation, Home Burned Down
"I just left my house not even 5 minutes ago I left my nephew in my house. My nephew threatened my house yesterday. I actually leave my house this morning to go to the precinct to make a report that my nephew is threatening to burn my house down. I have done nothing to my nephew but being nice to him. My nephew stays in my house without paying me rent for two years. I came here just for vacation, my husband and I came for vacation. Because I came and I said certain things have to happen; my nephew cannot sell drugs, so he is mad and upset because I told him that he cannot sell drugs on my property."
Police have set off searching for him - but no matter what they do, the house, and the possessions and irretrievable:
Sonya Harris, Came For Vacation, Home Burned Down
"All went my things went down. I don't worry about the things, by my green card, my passport and everything is in there. All my jewelry and things are in my place burnt up. I am telling you please to find my nephew because I find him because it will not be pretty - better get him before I do because the way how I feel I would not go back to the states because I would chop his God damn head off, so please find him."
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