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Owner of Ramon's Village Resort comes to Belize to discuss way forward

It has been two days since a major fire destroyed Ramon's Village Resort in San Pedro Town�and the hotel's management is wasting no time in picking up the pieces. Hotelier, Richard Hedrick, flew in from the United States today to assess damages and meet with his staff to discuss the way forward. News Five understands that utilities have been restored to the remaining forty rooms and that business should resume at the establishment as early as this weekend. On Tuesday night, a massive blaze which erupted in Cabana Fifteen decimated as many as twenty-nine rooms fabricated of pimenta and thatch. The fire is said to be the costliest the island has witnessed so far with damages amounting to millions of dollars. In its aftermath, investigators from the National Fire Service, the Belize Police Department and the Central Building Authority converged on the premises in an effort to determine the cause of the inferno. The hotel, valued at an estimated eight million U.S. dollars, is covered by an international insurance company.

Channel 5

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Iconic Tourism Establishment burns in San Pedro

Wednesday night, residents of San Pedro were still grappling with surreal devastation after the island's iconic tourism establishment was partially destroyed by fire. Tuesday night, the San Pedro Fire Department made an enormous effort to contain an inferno that raved through the Ramon's Village Resort sometime after 8:00pm. Police say the fire originated in the roof top of unit 15 and rapidly spread to other units, ultimately destroying a total of 30 cabanas, including a laundry room, kitchen, gift shop, bar, office and three store rooms. All structures are of Pimento, hard wood, sheet-rock casing and thatch roof. Neighboring structures received some damage and power supply was interrupted for close to an hour. In a statement issued by the Belize Electricity Limited Tuesday night, the company stated "BEL disconnected the island to mitigate damages from a fire at a resort, within close proximity to transmission line."� But San Pedro fire personnel were met with several hindrances in their attempt to battle the blaze, that is because a section of Coconut Drive, which includes access to Ramon's Village has been undergoing street renovation and so this blockage caused limited access to the fire. In addition, because electricity had to be cut off, the fire hydrants could only receive low water pressure. Assisting firefighters though were local residents and guests who lined the property with buckets of water. It took almost 2 � hours before the fire was brought under control. All twenty guests staying at the resort, as well as neighboring resorts and even residents living near the area were safely evacuated. On Wednesday Ramon Nunez, General Manager of the resort, expressed "We cannot say thank you enough to all of the people who fought this fire and helped us save as much of Ramon's Village Resort as possible." Meanwhile, owner, who resides in the US Richard Hedrick, saddened by the destruction stated "Our hearts are broken that our beloved Ramon's has suffered such damage. Over the past twenty-seven years tens of thousands of guests have visited Ramon's Village and had the time of their lives. However, out of adversity comes steadfastness and you can be assured that very soon the rebuilding of Ramon's Village Resort will begin." In fact, the institution's design and construction personnel are on the ground in Belize assessing damages and a way forward. Guests who have been staying at the resort have been relocated to other San Pedro area hotels. And while this comes as devastation to the resort personnel and the people of La Isla Bonita, it is also a loss to the local tourism industry says Minister of Tourism and Area Representative the Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. �"We will render as much support to the management and staff because this resort has been a leading institution in tourism, not only on the island but in the country" commented the Minister who watched helplessly as fire consumed the property. Ramon's Village Resort, which has been in operation since 1982, is valued at an estimated $8 million US dollars. The property is insured. We note that no injuries have been reported and Police continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

On Wednesday, Minister Manuel Heredia Jr, Minister of Tourism & Culture and Area Representative, Board of Directors and Staff of the Belize Tourism Board, expressed their deepest regret in a joint press release, stating �"Our thoughts and support are with the employees and management of Ramon's Village Resort, as they embark on a difficult and painful task to pick up the pieces from last night's devastating loss. We stand ready and willing to assist them as they start rebuilding. While the resort was significantly damaged, forty of its cabanas and dive shop facility that weren't affected by the fire are fully functional and open for business." BTB stresses that its Quality Assurance Department, which is tasked with ensuring that industry partners are in compliance with established standards of safety and quality, reported that on December 16, 2012, that the Quality Assurance Inspectors conducted a full inspection of Ramon's Village Resort and found them to be in full compliance and up to standards. In 2002, Ramon's was named Hotel of Year at the BTB's Annual Tourism Awards. Later, in October 2010, founder of the resort, Ramon Nunez, was awarded with BTB's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution of over forty years to the tourism industry.

PlusTV

Ramon's Village Resort Bouncing Back after Fire

There is nothing keeping back Ramon's Village Resort from making a strong comeback after the terrible fire that destroyed a large part of the resort on August 27, 2013. The staff of Ramon's, seen here with big smiles, happy faces and high spirits, was taken on last week Friday, August 30, 2013 as the resort's owners Mr. and Mrs. Headrick arrived from the United States.

After a talk and prayer with his staff, Mr. Richard Headrick and his staff got back to work to get the resort up and running. As plans get ready for reconstruction, the resort is still open for business with the 40 rooms that were not damaged by the fire and a fully functioning dive shop.

Since the fire, the outpour of support and assistance from the community has been immeasurable. From the utility companies speeding up their services repair, businesses helping out or just a friend calling in to check up on the staff, the Ramon's Village family says they are blessed and are thankful to the community for their support. And it was on that same day, Friday, that the staff of Ramon's Village Resort received a very special treat. The hard-working staff enjoyed a special boxed lunch courtesy of Star Nu�ez who lives all the way in California, USA; she commissioned Wild Mango's Restaurant to cook them a delicious meal.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the Ambergris Today

Letter to the Editor from Mr. Ramon Nu�ez

Dear Editor:

I have been silent all this time, but now I am feeling better and I want to share my feelings with the world. I have been at Ramon's Village for the past 32 years of my life; Ramon's is my home, and my baby. Ramon's means the world to me. [The fire] was like taking away a toy from a little kid.

I built Ramon's in 1981 with some investors from the Meridian, and we decided to name it Ramon's Reef Resort. We opened on the 21st of September 1981; by the way the 21st will be our 32nd anniversary! Lots of work and lots of effort, but it's worth it. When we opened Ramon's, we only had 10 cabanas, a restaurant and a bar; the hotel was very rustic. The rate at Ramon's was at $35.00US with 3 meals. In 1987 I was having trouble with the bank and the investor had lost interest in the hotel and I decided to sell. God gave me the strength to keep going, and it was there where I met the nicest person in the world. I was sitting in front of the bar at Ramon's and I saw this person walking with his backpack right at me and I told him, "Welcome to the world of make Belize."

That person was Mr. Headricks, and since then, he has loved Ramon's.

He always wanted to buy Ramon's, and in 1987, we made an agreement and he bought it. Since then, he converted Ramon's into one of the most famous resort in the whole world. Of course I stayed and all those years I have done his PR job. He told me, "I want you to be my general manager, and you will be the boss." And he told me to kiss all the ladies and take care of our guest. A lot of people from all over the world come to our hotel. Many of them are repeat guests; some come about 3 times a year, some twice and some once. Since then, all I have done is love my guests, as I call all of them my friends and family. I always took my mother's word, "Ramon you will be a successful man, because you were born for people."

That night of the disaster, I had just come home from Ramon's, about 7:30PM. As soon as I was going to bed, my phone started ringing and someone told me, Ramon's Village is on fire. I looked out the window and saw the smoke and said to myself, "Oh my God it's happening!" By the time I got there about seven buildings were already burnt. I saw when the dining room started to burn and said to myself, "This is the end of Ramon's Village." I ran to the beach as the fire started to grow, the heat got stronger, my feet started to get weak and I started shaking and fell to the ground. My friend Dale from "Wil and Dale" and another friend, I'm sorry I don't remember who, took me home. Thanks you guys.

I got home and the doctor came and took care of me. By the time the fire was over I was feeling better. By the next day, all the workers came to work early in the morning. We gathered up, and all of us were feeling so sad; you could have seen it in my and my beautiful staff's faces. We were sad!!!

I want to thank everyone who was there helping, especially my best manager in the world, Mr. Einer Gomez. He warned all our guests and staff who were there at that time and helped them get to a safer place. He ensured that our guests had somewhere to stay as they continued their vacation. I am very sorry for the guests that lost their documents and other personal items, but I thank God everyone was ok. Thanks to the people and the fire fighters for containing the fire, and not letting it spread. I especially thank the men and women that were on the brigade throwing buckets to keep the fire from spreading to the other cabanas. I thank my staff for showing such effort in helping in each and every way, before and after the fire. This is the best staff I have ever had in my life. If God blesses us, very soon our village will be up and running, and all the staff will be working again.

Thanks to the media, to the friends who sent texts and emails from all over the world. Thank you God, for giving us health and life to keep going. God bless all of you!!!

/s/ Mr. Ramon Nu�ez
General Manager
Ramon's Village Resort

Electrical Malfunction Caused Fire At Ramon's Village

Last month, we showed you the scene left after Ramon's Village Resort was gutted by fire. The multi-million dollar resort which was insured both internationally and locally for a hefty amount of money burnt to the grown on August 27th. An investigation into the cause of the blaze was launched and it has now been completed. According to reports, the cause of the blaze has been ascertained to be an electrical malfunction. As was reported, the fire started in Cabana 14 and spread quickly to the other pimenta style cabanas. The resort was established back in 1987 and is expected to be completely re-built by the end of the year.

LOVETV

Electrical failure is the cause of Ramon's Village Resort fire

On August 27th a large portion of the world renowned Ramon's Village Resort on Ambergris Caye was destroyed by a horrific fire. Nearly four weeks later, the Belize Fire Department is reporting that their investigation concludes that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.

According to Orin Smith, Station Officer and lead fire investigator, the fire started in caba�a number 14 and not in number 15 as was initially reported. "Our investigation has concluded and has determined that the fire originated in caba�a 14. What transpired is that the two structures were very close to each other, and from the view of many, who saw the fire, it was thought that it started in structure 15. While investigating we found that the fire started on the roof of caba�a 14. The cause of the fire was classified as electrical due to evidence of "beading through arcing" (evidence of a melted conductor that was exposed to a certain temperature during the fire sufficient to cause melting) that was discovered on a wire that provided electricity to a ceiling fan in the caba�a. None of the other wires had evidence of arcing or beading," said Smith. The total estimated cost of the damages has not been revealed, but according to Smith, because the fire was not "arson," no one can be held responsible and it is classified as an accident.

When asked about the criticism from local residents about the apparent lack of efficient firefighting techniques on the day of the fire, Smith said that there are a lot of things that people should factor in when evaluating what happened. "Based on the material used for the building and factoring the proximity of the structures and the information gathered from witness, even though we responded promptly, several caba�as were already on fire at the arrival of our first unit (fire truck). What compounded the situation is that the fire truck, like other units anywhere in the world, only carries a limited amount of water. Based on the material that was burning and the quickness that it was burning with, you cannot get much out of a single pump truck."

Smith indicated that it is fires like the one at Ramon's Resort that should prompt decision making people to re-evaluate the development plan for Ambergris Caye. "The hydrant system on the island is not one that can support a large fire of that magnitude. And although the island is surrounded by water, development impedes access to the water sources. The fire truck had to travel over a 1000 feet from the actual fire just to shoot water to the fire. The truth is that any development should involve input from the fire department so that adequate provisions can be implemented for effective firefighting in the case of an emergency," he explained. Smith ended by indicating that the fire department encourages everyone who owns buildings and businesses to comply with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in terms of the wiring of buildings.

And while the Fire Department's investigation has concluded, the resort continues to recover; offering accommodations and tours via undamaged structures. According to a representative of the Ramon's Village Resort, full recovery is expected to be completed on December 20th, in time for the Christmas season. They have over 100 people employed as the cleanup and regeneration efforts are ongoing to meet schedule.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

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Ramon's Village Resort open for business

Rebuilding underway following fire, staff eager to welcome guests

Ramon's Village Resort is pleased to announce that the iconic beach resort located on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize is now open for business following a fire at the resort on Tuesday, August 27th. While a portion of the resort sustained fire damage with rebuilding already underway, thirty authentic thatched roof cabanas on the north side of the property are open for occupancy as well as ten quaint cottages at the Belizean Princess located just across the street from Ramon's. The warm sand, azure blue waters of the western Caribbean and delightful cabanas at Ramon's Village and stylish cottages at the Belizean Princess, all nestled among native flora and fauna, await our beloved guests.

Just as exciting is the opening this past Monday of the famed Pineapples On The Beach restaurant located at Ramon's. Chef Rommie Kie and Manager Ronnie Kie are serving exotic island cuisines once again with a delightfully fun flare. Weinvite island guests and residents alike to come dine at Pineapples On The Beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea and experience world-class dining!

Ramon's Village Divers is as busy as ever offering out-of-this-world scuba diving and snorkeling trips to such famed sites as the Blue Hole, Shark Ray Alley, HolChan and dozens of other great sites. In addition, adventure trips to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai, Tikal, Altun Ha, Xunantunich and other ruins sites are available from Ramon's Village Divers. Plus, cave tubing, zip lining, the Belize Zoo trip, Mountain Pine Ridge tour, bird watching, sea shelling, sunset cruises and beach barbeques await our adventure minded guests looking for that "just right" Belize experience.

Maybe what you have in mind is pure relaxation? Then enjoy the best beach in San Pedro and relax in the sun in your own beach chair with an idyllic view of the waves crashing over the barrier reef. Indulge in a massage at the end of the pier or swing lazily in a hammock under a beachside thatched roof palapa. The staff at Ramon's Village Resort is ready to attend to every need and make your island vacation one never to forget.

Call 1-800-MAGIC 15 or visit our website at www.ramons.com to book your trip or for more information. The staff at Ramon's Village Resort eagerly awaits your visit whether as a first time guest or a repeat visitor. Come see why travelers from around the world fondly call Ramon's Village their "home away from home".

We had breakfast there on Friday and it was wonderful. Ewin and Ronnie were great and the food is even better than it was. The setting is just perfect. It's like having a picnic but you get waited on and there aren't any ants. I can hardly wait to have lunch there again and play on the beach. Everyone is working so hard and I couldn't find one face that didn't have a smile on it. We should all learn from them that no matter how bad it looks, it will get better. It's better to smile and stop complaining about your troubles, they will pass with time.