A blaze erupted early Sunday at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach resort in Bayahibe, a popular Caribbean resort town. The fire killed a 46‑year‑old Italian tourist and forced the evacuation of roughly 1,700 guests to nearby hotels.
Emergency services report that three people were taken to medical facilities and six were treated on site. Thicker black smoke filled the air, and drone footage showed widespread damage across the resort’s thatched‑roof buildings.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, though wind conditions and flammable thatched roofs are believed to have helped the flames spread rapidly.
Dominican Republic’s Emergency Operations Center confirmed the blaze was brought under control and that tourist activities in and around Bayahibe remained unaffected.
The Italian embassy in the Dominican Republic has met the deceased tourist’s husband at the hospital and is assisting around 285 Italian tourists, issuing emergency passports when original documents were destroyed and arranging flights home.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which franchises about 8,400 hotels worldwide, has been contacted for comment on the incident.
