Over the past 10 days, at least five homes were destroyed by fire across the country - and there was another on New Year's Day this time at mile 19 in Sand Hill Village.
Today, a very distraught Deborah Brown, a single mother of two told us that she was away on a job in the Cayo District when she heard that her house was burnt down by some children in the village. Forty eight year old Brown, who didn't have much in the house, lost the few items inside and her entire two bedroom wooden home:
Deborah Brown
"My house got burn down on new year's eve and its hard on me because I didn't leave my house because I didn't want house, I left my house because I was doing a live-in job."
Andrea Polanco
"What time that happen?"
Deborah Brown
"My daughter call me in the night at about 7 and she told me that my house is under fire and she said that she don't know what cause the fire. I told her that in the morning I will come up to check the house. I went yesterday morning and when I got there I spoke to the neighbor and she told me that she doesn't know what cause the fire. The people that live at the front told me that they were sorry because the kids were in my yard playing with fire and the house burn down and that don't know what they can do to assist me."
Andrea Polanco
"So the house burn down completely, you lost everything."
Deborah Brown
"Yes, you can't see anything, you could only see the zincs that got burnt up that the fire fighter put on the side and everything else is burnt to the ground. When I use to live up there I usually tell the neighbor kids not to play with fire in the yard, one time they were playing with fire and the wooden catch fire. I told their mother and she discipline them but I don't know why they have to go in the yard because it's a property lot."
Andrea Polanco
"You report this incident to the police? you are getting any help from the authorities?"
Deborah Brown
"No ma'am I went to the police station in Sand Hill and no police were there and now I want to go to Ladyville police station and the UDP office, they say they would call me but they never got to the police. I would really want them to do something about it. I was coming back home to live but I don't have anywhere to go now. I don't know what to do."
Brown told us that she was laid off a couple days before the fire and so now she's unemployed and doesn't know where she'll go. If you'd like to help Deborah Brown, you can reach her at 207-1223.
