Hundreds of people forced to escape as fire break out at Honduran island of Guanaja

A large fire destroyed more than 200 homes and shops on the Honduran island of Guanaja on Saturday.

Published 2021-10-04 05:42:02

Updated 2026-04-14 02:49:31

Hundreds of people forced to escape as fire break out at Honduran island of Guanaja

A large fire destroyed more than 200 homes and shops on the Honduran island of Guanaja on Saturday, making numbers of inhabitants escape to safety and condemning the tourist-dependent escape, relief officials stated.

Dramatic video footage on social media showed rows of sea houses collapsing into flames and wooden houses collapsing in Guanaja, a Caribbean island about 70 kilometers (44 miles) off the north coast of Honduras.

The Honduran Air Force dropped water on the island to extinguish the fire but not before it damaged many homes. Videos were taken after the inferno was taken under control shows dozens of concrete houses without roofs and windows.

"We can validate that we have no human losses but large material losses," stated Max Gonzales, minister of the National System for Risk Management and National Contingencies (SINAGER) agency.

As per reports, four people were wounded in the fire, which damaged 90 homes and destroyed another 120, including some used as shops, Gonzales stated.

The fire broke out before sunrise, and residents struggled to bring it under control as the island had no fire service.

Guanaja is one of the three charming bay islands of Honduras, where snorkelers and divers come to see dolphins and a large coral reef.