Tulum, Q.R. — More than 200 guests were evacuated from a Tulum hotel after it went up in flames Wednesday. Guests were ushered into waiting vans Wednesday afternoon when the roof of the reception area of their hotel burst into flames.
Nearly three dozen firemen worked on putting out the palapa fire that spread fast due to the dry conditions. Tulum Civil Protection responded by sending 33 emergency personnel to the Bahia Principe Grand Coba hotel Wednesday afternoon.
Sergio Canto, the Director of Tulum Civil Protection and Firefighters, said their first course of action was to cordon off the area, followed by the evacuation of the surrounding areas.
A total of 150 workers, 150 service employees and approximately 200 guests were evacuated and relocated to other villas within the hotel’s complex.
According to Canto, the fire started in a thatched roof that was under construction which, due to the ongoing construction process, still lacked fire retardant which facilitated the spread of the fire.
The fire quickly spread to the surrounding thatched roofs, affecting a total of eight. The front entrance of the hotel along with several dining areas were left in ruins.
Civil Protection and firefighters worked throughout the afternoon to extinguish the fire as it made its way across the top of the Riviera Maya hotel.
In a brief statement, Director Canto said “Coordinación Estatal de Protección Civil Quintana Roo issues a fire report. Thanks to the timely response of the authorities, it is confirmed that no one was injured in the fire at the Bahía Príncipe Hotel.
“The State Civil Protection Coordination reports that the fire has been contained and as of Wednesday afternoon, the affected areas were in the cooling phase, all in close coordination with the Fire Department units.”
After the fire, Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Resort issued a statement reporting that no one was injured in the afternoon hotel fire.
In their statement, they said the hotel only suffered damage to the palapa area in the lobby and some dining areas. An official cause for the initial fire that burned eight hotel palapa areas is still being investigated.
