SANTO DOMINGO — A huge fire at a luxury beach resort in the Dominican Republic killed one woman and forced nearly 1,700 tourists to be evacuated on Friday, authorities said.
Francesca Valentino, a 46-year-old Italian woman, was killed in the fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel, the DAEH emergency service said in a statement to local media.
It added that three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site.
Drone footage shows how widespread the fire was, with buildings spanning the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach in the town of Bayahibe on fire, and thick black smoke billowing into the air.
The exact cause of the early-morning blaze is not yet known.
“Preliminary observations indicate that the fire spread rapidly due to the flammable nature of parts of the roof structures made of palm, as well as wind conditions,” the country’s Emergency Operations Center (COE) said.
The COE said the fire had been brought under control and guests had been moved to other hotels.
It added that tourist activities in the town and surrounding area were not affected.
Italian news agency Ansa reported that the Italian ambassador to the Dominican Republic met the deceased woman’s husband at the hospital. The embassy is helping around 285 Italian tourists who were staying at the resort or nearby, issuing emergency passports to those whose travel documents were destroyed in the fire and arranging flights home.
Bayahibe, a popular resort town on the Caribbean coast, is known for its clear blue waters and sandy beaches.
Source: Saudi Gazette