So, while the fire investigators aren't suspecting arson in that Easter Sunday blaze, they strongly believe that last week Monday's fire at the Ladyville RC School was definitely set by someone who wanted to burn the principal's office down.
We spoke with Police before the long Easter weekend, and they said that they couldn't confirm that arson was the motive. But, today, Station Manager Orin Smith walked the media through the reasoning that clearly points to arson:
Orin Smith, Station Manager - Belize National Fire Service
"I think the investigators concluded that that was incendiary. There is evidence of photographs where I see where burglar bars were being cut, some completely cut - others were not completely cut. There is a photograph I saw where an aluminum louvers were torn open in trying to get into the office. However, the officer I understand was double barricade with burglar bars on the exterior as well as the interior and that gave them whoever it was trying to get in there a difficulty and I supposed frustration, hence the fire."
Reporter
"Has that information been passed on to Ladyville police, so that they could continue their investigation?"
Orin Smith, Station Manager - Belize National Fire Service
"They were there."
Reporter
"You said incendiary, would you be able to speak of what gasoline fuel?"
Orin Smith, Station Manager - Belize National Fire Service
"Not all incendiary fires uses any accelerant, so to speak. People can just take a lighter and light something and walk away. It is the fact that there is no explainable term how the fire can occur that one would conclude, on the scientifically fact that you need fuel, heat and oxygen to be combined to create that fire. When a fire occur from something or in an area where there is no heat source, then the heat source had to have some human intervention and that was one of the results of that office."
That fire caused around $30,000 in damages, items which the school can't afford to replace.
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