A British holidaymaker has died after a fire swept through a packed resort in the Dominican Republic, leaving guests scrambling to escape in their nightwear. The blaze, which broke out at the Grand Bahia Principe La Romana hotel on the country's southeastern coast in the early hours of Thursday, claimed the life of a 62-year-old man from Yorkshire, local authorities confirmed.
Emergency services evacuated hundreds of tourists as flames tore through the lobby and restaurant areas of the sprawling beachfront complex. Witnesses described scenes of panic, with families running onto the beach and guests using bedsheets to lower themselves from balconies. “There was smoke everywhere. People were screaming, trying to find their children,” said Susan Hartley, 44, a tourist from Manchester who was staying at a neighbouring hotel.
Eight other British nationals were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries, according to the Dominican Red Cross. The Foreign Office has updated its travel guidance, warning of “ongoing safety risks” at the resort and urging British tourists to exercise caution. An official statement read: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in the Dominican Republic and are in contact with local authorities.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though local reports suggest an electrical fault in a ground-floor restaurant kitchen may be to blame. The hotel said in a statement that it had activated its emergency protocols and was cooperating fully with investigators. “We are devastated by this incident and our deepest condolences go to the family and friends of the deceased,” it added.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of safety concerns surrounding Caribbean resorts popular with British holidaymakers. In 2019, the same chain, Bahia Principe, was implicated in the unsolved deaths of two US tourists. This latest incident has reignited debate about fire safety standards and the adequacy of emergency exits in such megacomplexes. “These resorts are like small cities. When something goes wrong, the infrastructure to evacuate thousands of people simply isn’t there,” warned Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel association Abta.
For the families of the victims, these broader questions are cold comfort. The deceased, named locally as Robert Greaves, a retired factory worker from Barnsley, had arrived at the hotel only three days earlier for a two-week package holiday. His daughter, speaking to the Daily Mail, described him as “a gentle man who loved the sun and his family”. “He went on holiday to escape the British winter. He never came home,” she said.
The Foreign Office has set up a helpline for worried relatives and advised that anyone concerned about loved ones should call 020 7008 1500. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic’s tourism ministry has pledged a full investigation and promised to review safety protocols across the sector. But for the holidaymakers now on their way back to Gatwick and Manchester, the memory of flames flickering against a Caribbean dawn will not fade quickly. As British holidaymaking continues to expand into these far-flung shores, the question of who guards the guards for the price of a bargain break grows ever more urgent.
