San Pedro Fire Destroys Three Homes, Displaces Ten Residents

A fire on La Isla Bonita yesterday afternoon destroyed three homes and displaced ten people, including four minors. Around 2 o’clock, a wooden structure near the Ambergris Stadium in the San Pablo area of San Pedro Town caught fire. The flames consumed the bungalow structure, and quickly fanned out to the two nearby houses in the yard. Fire personnel were called, but by the time the flames were doused, the homes and their contents were destroyed. Three families were impacted by the unfortunate blaze. This morning, our newsroom spoke with 21-year-old Stephanie Usher, one of the victims, about the fire that broke out as her family was celebrating her little’s sister birthday. 

Stephanie Usher, Fire Victim: “I smelled something burning and I thought it was my Christmas tree because I noticed the little wire had a little thing so I was like I will just leave it on and see how it goes and if not I will just disconnect it and put it up because I had already put up my Christmas tree. And so I smelled something burning and I asked my mother in law if she was cooking something in the kitchen and she said no because she was changing too. And she was like no but she smelled it as well and so I don’t know something just came over me and I heard two men screaming outside on the street and I looked out the window and they said that the house was on fire and that’s when I screamed at my mother in law “hey the house is on fire.” And it just happened in seconds. She just hurried finished changing, I just hurry grabbed clothes, put on clothes. We took out my son because I was with my son. I ran in after I put in my clothes I ran into the house to check where my mom lives in the big house and I saw everyone freaking out because everyone was at home because it was a holiday. Everyone was freaking out, I ran in there to see my mom and I told them that the house was on fire and my big sister her house was on fire and it was smoking already and the smoke was already getting thick. I ran back in my room and got my documents for my son and my partner and my mother in law pulled out what she could. My little sister had already ran out on the street with my son and I just ran out back and I tried getting my little sister, my little brother, my mom we tried to get everyone out and in like nothing ten minutes, fifteen minutes the whole house, my sister’s whole house caught fire and the fire just caught on the rest of the houses.”

Usher says that the family is in urgent need of uniforms for the minors that were affected. If you are willing and able to assist the victims, they can be reached at 631-2707 or 627-8990.