A large fire on a resort island off the coast of Honduras engulfed residential buildings and commercial establishments. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate, according to AFP.
“We can’t stop it. It’s out of control,” said Mireya Guillen, deputy mayor of Guanaja, a Caribbean island off the north coast of mainland Honduras. The island is home to 6,000 people, and their main source of livelihood is tourism.
A huge plume of black smoke rose over the island as military helicopters extinguished the flames.
The fire broke out for unknown reasons early Saturday morning in coastal homes and spread quickly.
According to firefighters, the fire destroyed 30 homes and commercial establishments and forced the evacuation of about 400 people. Four people were hospitalized with burns.
Guanaja, which covers an area of about 19 square kilometers, is one of the three islands of the Gulf of Honduras. Other islands are Roatan and Utila.