By Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Sept. 16, 2025

   A house fire on Arlington Drive in Belize City claimed the life of a 4-year-old girl on Tuesday, September 16.

   Around 5:00 that morning, the blaze engulfed a two-storey wooden and concrete home, which was occupied by a 28-year-old customer-care representative, Jowel Guerra, who was asleep in her room on the second floor and was awakened by a neighbor.

   Guerra quickly got out of the burning structure, and while she escaped with only minor injuries, that wasn’t the case with her 4-year-old, Kiara Bennett, who was reportedly sleeping beside her and was left behind and suffered a tragic death.

   “We had about four neighbors trying to get into the place, but due to the structure of our home – it’s an old structure, about 20 or 25 years old — I guess with the wind and everything, the flame blazed faster, and my daughter [was trapped] inside.  My baby was under the bed, and I guess she already got choked out by the smoke, and that was the result,” explained Kyron Bennett, father of the little girl.

   After discovering that Bennett’s young daughter was trapped inside the home, Bennett’s family, along with neighbors, attempted to rescue the child, but suffered burns due to the intensity of the heat. 

   Bennett explained, “When everyone was trying to get to the front of the building, because this happened in the middle, they couldn’t, because the flames were going to the front. When they tried to go to the back, it was the same thing, and that’s why they went through the window.”

    The house and a vehicle parked near the house were destroyed by the fire, and another car was partially damaged.

   Fire officials told Bennett that the fire was caused by a faulty log attached to the socket meter, which sent a surge throughout the home.

   “It found one of the weak spots within one of the outlets. We haven’t used this outlet for 10 years, and I guess due to that age, it short-circuited, and started the fire there, and it moved upstairs and spread,” he said.      Kiara’s charred remains were later found in the burnt remains of the home. Bennett says that seeking closure for the death of his daughter is his main focus right now.  He told reporters that his entire life had been built around her.