Woman killed, 1,700 evacuated in beach hotel fire in Dominican Republic

A large fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in the Dominican Republic killed one person and evacuated nearly 1,700 tourists, with several others injured or treated on site.

​A woman was killed and nearly 1,700 ​tourists were evacuated due to ‌a large ​fire at a hotel in theDominican beach resort of Bayahibe, local authorities said on Friday. 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.

Three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site, ‌DAEH said. Those affected included guests, visitors and emergency responders. Videos shared by local media showed ‌dark clouds of smoke billowing out above the Caribbean coastline, as flames engulfed the resort's straw roof. "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 fire was brought under control but its causes were still being investigated, ⁠the operations center said. Guests were moved to nearby hotels. The Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace, part of the ​same chain, did not sustain any damage.

"Tourist activities in Bayahibe and the surrounding ⁠area remain unaffected and continue to take place safely and as normal," COE added. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which franchises ⁠some ​8,400 hotels worldwide, said in a statement that it was saddened by the guest's death and sent its thoughts to her family.

The company added that the independently owned and ⁠operated hotel was closed and would remain so until further notice. Famous for its clear water ⁠and white sand ⁠beaches, the Dominican Republic is the Caribbean's top tourist destination, receiving some 5.6 million visitors in the first five months of this year.