Fire Destroys Flowers Bank Home; Faulty Refrigerator Suspected

A mid-morning fire yesterday, completely destroyed a 20-by-20 wooden home in Flowers Bank Village, Belize District. Police say they received the emergency call at around 11:21, prompting officers to head to the village, where the elevated wooden structure, standing about 10 feet off the ground, was already engulfed in flames.  The homeowner, 58-year-old taxi operator Wilbert Budd, told authorities that he had left home around 6:30 a.m. and secured the building before heading out for the day. He said all electrical appliances had been unplugged, with the exception of a refrigerator he had recently purchased from a friend. According to Budd, the fridge had been malfunctioning, and he now believes it may have triggered the fire.  A villager alerted him to the blaze shortly before midday. By the time first responders arrived, nothing could be salvaged. The home, valued at approximately $30,000 Belize dollars, was not insured.  The official cause of the fire will be determined once fire investigators conduct their assessment.