World

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

By Reuters Reuters
A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS
A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS Gojko Culibrk Reuters

tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086220062026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA086920062026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086220062026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086220062026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086220062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086220062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086920062026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086920062026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086920062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP086920062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086220062026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV086920062026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086220062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD086920062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



SANTO DOMINGO - A woman was killed and nearly 1,700 tourists were evacuated due to a large fire at a hotel in the Dominican 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.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which franchises some 8,400 hotels worldwide, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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.

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.

(Reporting by Paul Mathiesen and Erika Santelices in Santo Domingo; Editing by Alistair Bell)

A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS
A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS Gojko Culibrk Reuters
A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS
A drone view shows a fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Gojko Culibrk/via REUTERS Gojko Culibrk Reuters
Police officers operate following a fire at a Viva Dominicus resort in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026, in this still taken from a social media video. Junito Mieses/via REUTERS
Police officers operate following a fire at a Viva Dominicus resort in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026, in this still taken from a social media video. Junito Mieses/via REUTERS Junito Mieses Reuters
People look at a fire at Viva Dominicus resort in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026, in this still taken from a social media video. Junito Mieses/via REUTERS
People look at a fire at Viva Dominicus resort in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, June 19, 2026, in this still taken from a social media video. Junito Mieses/via REUTERS Junito Mieses Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 10:14 AM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER