Fire Destroys close to $1Mil in Caye Caulker

Residents of our sister island Caye Caulker were awakened on Monday, November 23, at about 2:00 in the morning by huge fire that completely destroyed four buildings and left two partially damaged.

According to Kenneth Mortis, Training Officer of the National Fire Service, the Caye Caulker Fire Station received a call at about 2:23 a.m. about a fire coming from a Cabaņa at Ocean Pearl Royal Hotel.

Police, along with island residents, acted together and formed a bucket brigade to assist in outing the fire as the small pump belonging to the fire department was malfunctioning. A local resident also rendered some aid by providing a water pump and members of the San Pedro Fire Department also arrived to help extinguish the blaze out our neighbors in Caye Caulker.

Ocean Pearl Royal Hotel, where the fire started, was totally destroyed; it belonged to Efrain Novelo which was estimated at $40,000. A residential two storey newly constructed building belonging to Haywood Curry estimated at $320,000 and two wooden two storey buildings belonging to Costa Maya Beach managed by Julian Rosado estimated at $400,000 were all destroyed by the fire.

"We were told by the occupants of the cabaņa, where the fire started, were burning a fish coil and that that could have been what started the fire," commented Mr. Mortis. "We do not want to just go by what we were told so our investigations still continue. What I can assure is that the fire was not due to any electrical problem or negligence of unattended stoves and so forth."

The damage estimate stands at roughly $700,000 and nothing was insured. A Danish couple who stayed in the Ocean Pearl Royal Hotel where the fire started were detained and questioned by both police and fire personnel but were released without charges.

The Caye Caulker Fire Department consists of two firemen and one had the day off and was not on the island the morning of the fire. Residents of Caye Caulker are asking for more fire fighters and new equipment for the fire department.

Ambergris Today