A devastating house fire in Belize City has left a seventy-nine-year-old dementia patient hospitalized and homeless, exposing the challenges faced by family caregivers. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon on Rio Bravo Crescent in the Faber’s Road Extension area, completely destroying the small metal residence and all possessions within.
Kenneth Flowers, who lives with dementia, suffered significant burns across his face, torso, and arms when a gas explosion erupted as he attempted to prepare tea. Fire investigators determined the blaze originated from a faulty connection between a stove and a gas tank that had been deliberately disconnected for safety reasons.
His daughter, Andrea Flowers-Sanchez, who serves as his primary caregiver, had temporarily left the home to acquire food when the catastrophe unfolded. She revealed to reporters that she had explicitly disconnected the gas tank and informed her father it was empty, but his cognitive condition led him to attempt reconnecting the apparatus independently.
The emotional toll of caregiving was palpable as Flowers-Sanchez described the daily challenges of supporting a parent with dementia. “It’s hard in the sense that I don’t have real knowledge of dementia,” she explained. “Day by day I try to learn or read up to help him. Sometimes I lose him—he gets out of bed and wanders the street. It really hard because you deprived of your rest, but for my dad, I have to do it.”
The family had resided in the home for less than two years, having received the property as a donation from Pickstock Area Representative Anthony Mahler. They were gradually making improvements to their living situation before the fire reduced their progress to ashes.
While community members have donated clothing, the family urgently requires furniture—particularly a bed—as Kenneth Flowers currently sleeps on a sofa while recovering from his injuries. Despite the trauma, Flowers maintains perspective: “It gone fair enough. I’m still alive so it’s fair enough.”
The incident has highlighted the precarious circumstances facing dementia patients and their caregivers in Belize, particularly regarding home safety and support systems for families managing cognitive disabilities.