Fire Kills Tourist And Forces 1,700 To Evacuate Dominican Resort As Thatch Roof Fuels Fast-Spreading Blaze At Bayahibe Beach Hotel
According to CNN, a large fire tore through the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe on Friday, killing one tourist and forcing nearly 1,700 guests to evacuate.
Francesca Valentino, a 46-year-old Italian tourist, died in the blaze, the DAEH emergency service confirmed. Three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site, with guests, visitors and emergency responders among the injured.
Cellphone footage showed thatch and cane roof sections engulfed in fast-moving flames while crowds swam in the ocean just feet away. Officials said the resort’s cane roofing likely caused the fire to spread quickly. The neighboring Dominicus Palace resort was undamaged and continued operating normally.
This matters because the Dominican Republic welcomed roughly 5.6 million visitors in just the first five months of this year, and tourist safety at beachfront resorts is now under fresh scrutiny.
A vacation paradise turned into a fire scene within minutes, a brutal reminder that thatch roofing and packed resorts do not mix safely.
Check out our previous coverage of travel safety and global incidents here.
