A toddler who perished in a house fire on Saturday. It occurred in downtown Belize City sometime after mid-day where the three year old boy was left home alone and possibly with no escape because he was left locked in a room. Our news team arrived on west canal shortly after the blaze and here’s the story.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
When 7NEWS arrived on the scene around two forty on Saturday afternoon the fire had spread to the upper wooden flat at number eighteen Dean Street. It had already destroyed the six rooms located in the lower concrete flat of the two storey building where a child tragically lost his life. In room number one fire fighters discovered the charred remains of three year old Omar Aguilar. The infant was lying faced down.
Kenneth Mortis, Officer in Charge – National Fire Service
“The child was left in the care of his older brother who was a nine
year old. The mother was not at home and for some reasons unknown the 9 year old apparently left, leaving the three year old inside the building. Now the fire started and the three year old could not get out the building on his own as he was mentally challenged. As a result of the fire he was overcome by smoke and heat where he succumbed to the injuries. The police are taking that matter into their hands and we from the Fire Service standpoint, we’re doing what we can tom exactly determine who should be held responsible and exactly where was this 9 year old at the time he should have been taking care of his younger brother.”
Investigations reveal that the child’s mother thirty year old sanitation worker Pauline Mclean reportedly left for work some eight hours before and that she left the younger sibling in the care of his nine year brother who is believed to be mentally challenged. But the older brother was not home at the time of the fire. He was at the next door neighbour’s house watching television.
Ruoldph Conorquie, Neighbour
“When I ran out my house I saw the building on fire, one of rooms, and I remembered a child, a baby boy living there, and I went and I tried to
stomp open the back door but when I stomped open the door, the fire was right in my face so I couldn’t get in. I had to retreat and then I ran in my house to get bucket and started throwing water and then other neighbours and so on came around and we were trying to out the fire. But all that time the baby was right in the room there.”
Rudolph Conorquie says he was not even aware that a fire had started. He told 7NEWS it was disturbing to see law enforcement officers remove the body of the child he desperately tried to save.
Ruoldph Conorquie,
“It was very tough because it is a child I know. I see him every single day, sometimes he and his brother would be playing right in this parking lot because it seems he and his brother were very close. I see them spending a lot of time together and my first instinct wasn’t my house, it was that child. I didn’t worry about my house, I thought about him and it hurts because I couldn’t get in to save him.”
Investigations reveal that three year old Omar Aguilar may have already been overcome by smoke inhalation or the blaze because by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the lower flat of the building where it is believed the fire started, was already engulfed in flames. Fire fighters also made another disturbing discovery. It appears that someone had locked the child from outside the room.
Kenneth Mortis,
“That is another disturbing point indeed. Like I said earlier both children were left by their own and for some reason or reasons unknown the exit to the building was locked from the outside so of course as you made mention, that is another disturbing point that we are looking at very seriously and that we are hoping that Human Development could get involved.”
According to police the mother has not been detained. 7NEWS understands she did report to work this morning but was sent home. While it has been established that there was nothing the fire-fighters could have done to save the young’s boy’s life it is believed that the upper flat rented by Woman Corporal of Police Martha Rhys could have been saved.
Ted Smith, Acting Fire Chief
“The Department has to go back to the drawing board as a result of this fire. The result I am not satisfied with. Of course we could not have saved the child because on arrival the child had already died. Our performance needs to be looked at in this particular fire. We need to go back to the drawing board and try to establish what we could have done better.”
Apparently both fire trucks had used up their water supply after tending to the blaze that had engulfed the lower flat. According to acting Fire Chief Ted Smith this should not have happened.
Ted Smith,
“However when we arrived on the ground, our deployment could have probably been better. That is what we need to look at on the drawing board. I am aware that both truck exhausted their water simultaneously which should not have occurred. We need to look at what transpired, go back to the drawing board and see how we could better rectify that and they had to both move to the canal at the same time.”
According to the police an intensive investigation has been launched and following consultation with the director of public prosecution it will then be decided if any charges will be levied against anyone.
