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Six weeks ago, three children were severely burnt in a house fire on Aloe Vera street in the Lake Independence area.  One of them, 11 year old Aaron Gabourel died in the house, while his two cousins, 8-year-old Empress Hamilton and 4 year old Ian Carr received third degree burns to 90% of their bodies.  Through the efforts of the Burn Victims Mercy Fund they were flown out to Shriners Hospital in Galveston Texas but even at a premier burn center, their injuries were too severe for their small bodies to survive: Ian Carr died on November ninth while receiving treatment, and early this morning, one week later, his big sister passed away, also from complications due to her massive burn injuries. 

Their mother who returned from Texas on Monday to deal with funeral arrangements for Ian, now has to prepare to bury her two children.  She passed out when she got the news early this morning, and told us this afternoon that the Doctors tried their best but Empress’s heart just stopped:

Melissa Hamilton - Mother of Burnt Children
"Well I know ih mi stable and yes it mi critical but she mi di talk, walk a little bit, mi the eat, mi the drink but when last night 12 o'clock I get the news and the hospital called me I understand that the reason why she passed is because her heart just stop work. They mi di try do everything in their power they could do because on my behalf I can tell anybody that Galveston Shriner's Hospital out there for burn children da wa good hospital because when my son Ian mi the lose his life they try give ah injection, all kind of thing CPR, I could say da some good doctor and nurse deh out there; they tried their best."

"Doctors were trying their best. I never see a doctor cry, I never see a nurse cry but it touch the whole hospital, touch all of them because they really wanted they kids come back alive. I feel hurt, feel lost, confused because my kids they never deserve this. We no do nobody nothing, my daughter mi only 8, turn 9 over there; her birthday was the 24th of October. They gave her a lot of gifts, my son was only 4, just mi start pre-school I never expect this to ever happen to me, I never even dream like something like this mi a happen. It really left me lost and confused."

Both bodies will be flown back to Belize tomorrow.  The family needs help with funeral arrangements, so if you can help, you can call the family at 604-1220, or 650-9269. Â 

So, now three children, ages 11, 8, and 4 perished in that fire.  Empress actually turned nine while in the hospital.  Add to that, two year old Kaylee Alvarez who died in a fire on October 27th, and the murder of 7 year old Tyler Savery, and it’s a total of five Belize City children, 11 and under whose lives have been cut tragically short by traumatic deaths in the last 6 weeks.