Authorities on Ambergris Caye are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed three buildings and a small structure at a resort in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. The blaze is believed to have originated from inside a laundry room before spreading to nearby structures shortly around 2:30AM on Wednesday February 25th at Exotic Caye Beach Resort, located on Coconut Drive. It took two hours before local fire personnel were able to bring the blaze under control, but not before the resort succumbed to more than $600,000 in damages.
According to Manager of Exotic Caye Beach Resort, Romar Rodriguez, he was alerted about the fire by his security personnel. By the time he got to the resort, the fire had spread to the other structures. “I got there like 15 minutes after I got the call and when I got to the scene, I noticed the fire had already spread over to two buildings. Fire personnel were already on the scene fighting the fire,” recounted Rodriguez, who was still on the grounds assessing the damages.
With the help of volunteers from the community and police officers, the fire was brought under control around 4AM. “Three structures (and the laundry room) were destroyed, and each had four units. At the moment of the fire, the units were occupied by tourists. When the security guard saw the fire, he quickly notified our guests and they were able to leave the buildings with most of their belongings. They had enough time to evacuate the area,” stated Rodriguez. As such, no-one was hurt as a result of the fire.
The fire comes at the peak of the tourism season, and for the resort that had been booked for this season, affected guests had to be accommodated elsewhere. “The first order of business was to ensure that our guests were taken care of and we managed to put them at a sister resort. Those who were unable to be accommodated at our resort were diverted to other resorts who had offered to assist us.”
While the total losses for the laundry room, the three buildings and its content, has not been ascertained at this time, Rodriguez said that it is beyond $600,000. Unfortunately none of the structures were insured.
No one at the National Fire Service was able to comment about the cause of the fire since they are still in the initial stage of the investigation. Fire personnel did say however, that one of the elements that fueled the fire to spread quickly is the fact that the roof of the structures are made of thatch.
Exotic Caye Beach resort has been in operation for over 20 years. Immediately after a damage assessment is concluded, the resort owners expect to start reconstruction efforts.
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