A brewing controversy at the restricted Baldy Beacon military ordnance destruction site has placed former government minister Elvin Penner at the center of a public dispute, as he pushes back against serious allegations that he attempted to remove explosive materials from the controlled cleanup zone. The confrontation unfolded amid a rapidly spreading wildfire that authorities say interrupted a major demining and ordnance disposal operation on May 21, 2026, bringing competing narratives about what transpired at the site.
Penner, who holds property ownership in the area, has publicly refuted the claims of wrongdoing, offering a starkly different account of his presence and actions on the day in question. He told reporters he traveled to the site specifically to monitor the out-of-control blaze, which he claims was ignited by the ongoing military demolition operation itself. What drew his intervention, Penner argues, was the combination of unchecked fire spread and what he describes as inadequate security at the site, where he asserts explosive materials had been left unsecured.
In his on-the-record comments, Penner emphasized that his actions were driven by public safety concerns, not illegal intent. He explained that he feared the approaching wildfire would reach the unguarded explosives, triggering a catastrophic detonation that would put emergency responders and nearby communities at risk. Penner noted that unsecured leftover ordnance at the site is not an unprecedented issue, pointing to a similar unaddressed fire incident that occurred at the same location two years prior, when military personnel abandoned the site and never returned to secure leftover materials.
“What may look on the surface like a controversial figure mixed up in suspicious activity is actually a response to gaps in site security,” Penner explained in his interview. “I have full respect for our security forces, who work with the limited resources they are given, but there has been a repeated failure to consult with private landowners when these military operations are held on our property. This isn’t the first time a fire has burned everything to the ground here, and the last one was left unaddressed after troops pulled out.”
Penner went on to clarify that he only moved the materials to protect them from the approaching blaze, not to steal them. “It looked to me like they had abandoned the ordnance again, just like they did two years ago. I never would have touched anything if the fire wasn’t seconds away from destroying what the operation left behind. In fact, authorities should be grateful I moved those charging wires: if I hadn’t acted, the fire would have reached them before troops could return to secure the site. My intervention let them put the fire out and resume their operation without incident.”
Authorities have offered a contradictory version of events, saying the situation escalated after Penner was intercepted removing explosive materials from the restricted zone. Francis Usher, CEO of the overseeing authority, explained that a joint team from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Belize Defence Force (BDF) was nearly 90% finished with a major cleanup of unexploded ordnance leftover from last year’s Dave Burgos incident when the wildfire broke out. The operation was paused as the BDF and Forestry Department launched a joint fire suppression response to contain the blaze.
Usher confirmed that BDF soldiers caught Penner at the site and discovered charging wires, white phosphorus, and fuel in his vehicle following a search. The entire case has now been turned over to national police for formal investigation, and Penner could face criminal charges depending on the outcome of the probe. Despite the controversy, officials say they remain committed to completing the final phase of the explosives cleanup operation as soon as conditions allow.
This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast originally published online.