A violent fire that broke out this Friday in a tourist complex in Bayahíbe, on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, has caused the death of a tourist and forced the evacuation of 1,690 people staying at the establishment, according to the authorities of the Caribbean country.
The incident began in the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham hotel and spread with enormous speed due to the highly combustible characteristics of its roofs, made of straw and cane. Dominican authorities have confirmed the death of a 46-year-old Italian visitor, who could not be saved despite the efforts of the emergency teams deployed to the scene.
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) has reported that the fire is now "under control" and has provided details of the operation deployed in an official statement.
"The COE maintains control and general coordination of the response operations, together with the different fire departments in the region (...), who continue to work uninterruptedly to completely extinguish the incident. As part of the life protection actions, approximately 1,690 guests were evacuated, who have been relocated to nearby hotels and other enabled facilities," the statement reads.
Due to the speed with which the flames were collapsing the structures, the resort's security personnel and internal brigades immediately activated emergency protocols. Thousands of tourists and employees were preventively guided to the beach area adjacent to the sea, with the aim of keeping them away from the area most affected by the fire, according to information disseminated by the local newspaper 'El Comercio'.
As an additional safety measure, authorities also ordered the evacuation of several nearby hotels to minimize the impact of the dense smoke and incandescent fragments carried by the wind to other premises.
In parallel, the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic has assured that it will provide logistical support to ensure that the affected travelers can continue with their planned itineraries, as well as the necessary assistance to the Italian consular authorities after the tragic event.
"The causes that originated the fire remain under investigation, and it will be the corresponding technical commission that will be in charge of establishing them once the emergency and evaluation work at the site concludes," concludes the COE's statement.