Belize: Massive bushfire engulfs Hopkins Road, threatening homes and resorts

Belize: A large bushfire raged on both sides of Hopkins Road in Belize on Thursday, threatening nearby residential and hotel properties. Videos circulating on social media shows that the fire led to a significant smoke and hundreds of people attempting to control the situation.  

According to the information, the National Fire Service in Belize, local residents and resort employees worked together yesterday to contain the massive blaze. The community worked quickly and saved four major businesses and several homes from the bushfire.  

The village also benefited from a change in weather, with heavy showers helping to bring the blaze under control. 

As the fire was controlled at right time, it did not cause any significant damage to the locals or their properties however the forest area was severely burnt.  

Notably, a bushfire is an uncontrolled fire or wildfire which burns in areas of natural vegetation like grasslands, scrubland or forests and can spread rapidly because of factors including dry conditions, winds and presence of flammable materials.  

A resident named Gretchen Smith while sharing her horrible experience said, “Very thanful for the community of Hopkins for working so hard to put ot this fire. It was about one block from my house, and it was quite serious.” 

After the blaze was controlled, the National Fire Service expressed its gratitude to everyone who came forward and assisted them. “A big thank you to everyone who volunteered their time today to help our fellow citizens in a time of crisis. A special thank you to Hamanasi Resort for their tremendous efforts in fighting today’s bushfire,” they said. 

They also thanked Southern Emergency Services for assisting with their fire engine, Dangriga Fire Station and the Jaguar Reef Village construction team.  

The team further urged all the residents to cease and desist from burning fires during this dry season and reminded them that bushfires are common in Belize during this season with peak fire season usually beginning in early March and lasting around 12 weeks.