Tonight, a Belize City family of 9 is homeless after a early morning fire gutted their two homes in their Supal Street yard.
The Williams family went to sleep on Saturday night, only to wake up a few hours later to a blaze that was spreading all around the walls of their homes. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but their entire lives went up in smoke.
This evening, Sharn Williams narrated the panic of waking up to the smell of smoke, only to realize her house was on fire. She said that she immediately rushed to wake up her children and her boyfriend to get them out in just in time:
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"I was inside of the house at the time, in my sleep I just smelled some smoke and I told my boyfriend, I will get up and check my house and at the time of checking my house, I checked my window and said but I smelled smoke outside so I check my kitchen, I check my hall, I check my room, I didn't smell any smoke so I asked where is that coming from? My cousin gave me the attention in the same yard so I looked through the window and I heard them saying get the water and when I looked again, I saw the fire. I went back into the room to wake up my boyfriend and my kids and I said lets go out there's fire. That was about after 3 Sunday morning."
Reporter
"So now you and your family are homeless right?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"Exactly."
Reporter
"Where will you sleep tonight?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"Actually last night I slept right in my room regardless that it's burnt up to show you I don't have anywhere to stay, right there in my room."
Reporter
"Where are you staying tonight?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"Tonight I don't know where because the smoke is terrible."
Reporter
"Do you know what happened? How this fire started? Anything like that? Any ideas, maybe a candle was left burning, maybe the stove was left on, something like that, electrical?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"A wire actually caused it, the TV has a short and that caused the fire, but as I said no one was in the room."
Reporter
"Did you all saved anything?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"Nothing at all, I lost everything, my kids are going to school, in 4th form and I really need help."
Reporter
"So how can people reach you if they will like to assist? Obviously it's a distressing situation."
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"If anyone out there would really like to assist me please call my number at 620-4024 or bank account at 64501 Sharn Williams at Holy Redeemer."
Reporter
"How long have you lived here?"
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"From I was born and I am 40 years old."
Reporter
"Your family home, all your memories you made here, was destroyed in that fire."
Sharn Williams - Fire Victim
"All of them went through this fire, as well I say thank God that no one got hurt in the fire. I would really like them to please help me with a house. I need my house for my kids. I had my house for 20 years so please help me with a house for my kids. It doesn't have to be for me, it's for my kids. They are all for my kids."
As you heard, the fire, started at the house in the back where a faulty wire ignited. That's where Sharn Williams' two cousins lived, and all of their belongings were also destroyed by fire. Today, their mother, Inid Williams, spoke to us about distress they're now in:
Inid Williams - Mother of Fire Victims
"I build that for 2 of them so they could have a shelter over their heads. I didn't even know a fire was here until my son who is in the police force called after 2 minutes to 3 and said the house on Supal Street is on fire. So I asked him which him and he said it's the family yard, but I still told my daughter that I'm not going there so early because I'm afraid to come out on the street so I waited until after 6 then I left from home. I saw it and I said thank God no one was hurt. God was with them but everything was destroyed, no social, no birth paper, everything destroyed. All the clothes, TV, the stove, everything is gone."
Reporter
"Where are they sleeping tonight?"
Inid Williams - Mother of Fire Victims
"Last night they slept at a friend house, I don't know tonight if they are going to the same friend again because the only clothes that they have are the ones they are wearing. It's the first time I am trying to call to the public if they could really help them, 121, 124. If they could help them with some clothes, some food or whatever they could because it's the first time I'm begging, because I always work for my kids because I love all of them. I have 14 kids. I just bury one, 2 months ago. I call to the public if they could help or give a donation, I have a credit union account which is 35403 Inid Williams and my phone number is 6660129."
Again, anyone wishing to assist this family in their time of distress can reach them at telephone numbers 666-0129, or 620-4024.
