A week ago today we reported on the fire in the Corozal Free Zone which wiped out 15 warehouses and more than a million dollars in stock. The Fire Department says there has been no definitive answer on what caused the fire. Well tonight you'll hear from an influential businessman in the Free Zone who says the fire probably couldn't have been prevented but it could have been fought more effectively, and he has the video to prove it. Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This is never before seen amateur video of the fire that devastated 15 warehouses inside the Corozal Free Zone last Friday. Free Zone pioneer and businessman Michael Arnold was behind the camera.
Michael Arnold, President - Free Zone Chamber of Commerce
"What went wrong in the CFZ is that we had one of the most devastating fires, I think the one that has destroyed the most investments so far in zone. That fire started, in my estimate, at least prior to 10:30, and possibly due to an electrical shortage. But there was no one to start to out the fire and this is one of my major complaints. A lot of this devastation could have been prevented."
And Arnold has the video to prove it. Arnold and his wife began taping at 10:54 pm.
- The footage shows that at that time the fire was already massive and no fire truck had responded.
- Three minutes later - at 10:57 - the fire had become monstrous and it was rapidly expanding because no one was fighting it.
- 11 pm, a fire truck from the Corozal Fire Station arrived on the scene.
- The Corozal fire tender arrived but it didn't stay. Instead it drove right past the raging fire. The reason for that was that it had no source for water. And so as the truck went for water and the firemen rolled out hoses - while the fire continued - unchallenged.
- It burned freely until 11:22 pm - a full half hour after Arnold began taping.
And that's when the firefight began. At 11:22 pm, a Mexican brigade of fire and police trucks arrived. Within minutes of arrival - they began the fight. After they finished wrestling with the hose - our Belizean fighters joined in about ten minutes later. Within minutes, the fire that had raged freely was contained. But it didn't end there. The Mexican fighters left the fire contained and went to refill their trucks. Belize's firemen followed their cue and just stopped the firefight. A critical error and by 12:17 am - the fire was had flared up again and this time it was burning more intensely. It spread to other buildings and would continue to rage until 6 am - leaving 15 warehouses destroyed.
Michael Arnold,
"This is exactly what I am even embarrassed about as a representative in the Free Zone is because I called the
Mexican fire truck and they got their minutes behind the Corozal fire engine and they were the ones that started to wet the fire first, before we Belizeans could have started. Why should a foreign fire engine come here and we live here, we have a fire engine in the zone, and there is nobody wetting the fire. At least I would give credit if they were there with their fire engine and battling it and they got assistance. In my opinion there was negligence."
Arnold, who is the President of the Free Zone Chamber of Commerce says it is negligence which could be repeated.
Michael Arnold,
"I am here as the President of the Free Zone Chamber of Commerce, representing many investors in there who could not be able to come here to speak with you and explain and much less give you evidence of what really took place. So this is why I am here, to tell the public that we need assistance. I need to tell the government that we need to have a fire station. There is a small pump but that small fire engine truck cannot out the fire of this nature. I think that if you had a powerful truck, stationed in the zone with an amount of water that could go and out the fire as it started, that is where you stop a fire, when it is beginning, not when it is in a big blaze. The thing I believe is that what we have to prevent is a similar incident. The best way we could because it can't be one hundred percent. But if we have a large fire truck, I think it is a start."
This evening Fire chief Henry Baizar told us that his fighters did everything to fight the blaze. He vehemently disputes what Arnold's video shows and that is that the Mexicans began the fight. Meanwhile Arnold is now raising funds, through the Free Zone Chamber of Commerce to buy a fire truck for the Free Zone.
