Aerial images of the scene showed the flames tearing along the Caribbean coastline. Photo / Gojko Culibrk
Aerial images of the scene showed the flames tearing along the Caribbean coastline. Photo / Gojko Culibrk
A huge fire has ripped through a luxury beach resort in the Caribbean, killing an Italian tourist and forcing nearly 1700 holidaymakers to evacuate.
Francesca Valentino, 46, was killed in the blaze at the four-star Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in the Dominican Republic on Friday local time, according tothe island’s emergency services.
Three people were taken to hospital and six others were treated at the scene. The cause of the early morning fire is not yet known.
Strong winds and the hotel’s thatched cabanas are believed to have aided the fire’s spread.
Videos shared on social media showed firefighters tackling the flames, which had engulfed several large thatched cabanas and sent thick plumes of smoke into the air.
Other footage showed the fire tearing along the Caribbean coastline as scores of onlookers watched.
The flames “spread rapidly” because of wind conditions and the flammable nature of the thatched roofs on some buildings, according to an initial investigation by the country’s Emergency Operations Centre (COE).
An Italian tourist was killed in the blaze at the four-star Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel. Photo / Gojko Culibrk
First responders brought the fire under control and guests were relocated to other hotels, the agency said.
Valentino lost consciousness after inhaling carbon monoxide, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.
The tourist, who was from the city of Caserta in southern Italy, was transported to hospital by private car before she died.
Some of the Italian tourists staying at the resort returned home on Saturday morning.
Italy’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic met the husband of the woman killed in the fire.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, is the Caribbean’s most visited tourist destination, attracting more than 5.6 million visitors in the first five months of 2026.
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which owns some 8400 hotels worldwide, said the hotel will remain closed until further notice.
“Hotel teams safely evacuated guests and staff. However, we are saddened that one guest perished, and we send our thoughts to the family,” the hotel added in a statement to the Telegraph.
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