Brit mother, 54, tells of moment she ‘smelled burning’ while lying next to pool with her son at Dominican Republic resort… only to turn and find it engulfed in flames

A British mother has described the ‘terrible’ moment her Caribbean holiday turned into ‘chaos’ as she and her son watched an eight-hour fire destroy the hotel where he was staying.

Viva Dominicus Beach Resort in the Dominican Republic was reduced to ashes after a massive fire broke out on Friday.

At around 11:00 am, the hotel was thrown into turmoil as approximately 2,000 people sought refuge to safety; Some were holding their luggage as they evacuated the area.

Tourists ‘bravely’ tried to fight the fire themselves by climbing onto palm tree-lined rooftops equipped with fire extinguishers before the ‘single’ fire engine arrived and ‘military-looking’ helicopters later came to the rescue.

The airborne emergency response lasted several hours, until at least 7pm the same day, with helicopters flying back and forth with large buckets to refill them in the ocean.

54-year-old British tourist Tracey Perry talked about the massacre while she was cooling off in the pool with her 29-year-old son Ben.

Miss Perry, a civil servant from Farnham, told the Daily Mail: ‘I was taking a dip in the infinity pool while on holiday with my son when I smelled something burning, which frightened me as I’d been to a house fire before.

‘When I went to investigate, I saw that the roof of the reception building was on fire. About 12 bungalows were burning, the buffet area was also burning, it was an unwinnable battle.

After going to investigate the burning smell, he discovered the hotel’s reception area was engulfed in flames

This footage shows tourists being evacuated to a nearby beach as huge clouds of thick black smoke rise from the scene of the fire

‘The bungalows were two to three meters apart, so it was not possible for the watercraft to get there. One minute one was on fire, the next they were all on fire. It was horrifying how quickly the bungalow roofs turned to ashes.

‘Then helicopters flew back and forth with buckets of water and refilled it from the sea.’

‘It went from amazing to ridiculous in about 10 to 15 minutes. Tourists went to the roof with fire extinguishers to fight the fire and made great efforts.

‘There was no alarm, just whistling. Staff were going door to door to make sure no one was inside.

‘There was a lot of screaming and people burst into tears. I saw some people carrying suitcases, which was very stupid. I succumbed to this.

‘It was complete chaos… Approximately 1,700 people gathered on the beach. It was the most crowded hotel I’ve ever been to in my life.

‘While running towards the beach, I stopped for a moment because pieces of my hair fell into my hair, and my son caught me and said ‘come on’ because he thought I was freezing.

‘But I stopped to see which way the wind was blowing so I could consider whether going to the beach was the right plan.

Drone footage shows a massive fire at Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham in Bayahibe in La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. An Italian woman died in a fire

Picture: A holidaymaker wearing only swimming shorts and a baseball cap before climbing onto the roof of a palm tree-lined bungalow that was burned in a devastating fire

He is then seen dousing the flames, just moments later, armed with a fire extinguisher.

Another tourist grabs a fire extinguisher and fights the flames in a separate bungalow in the hotel complex

Tourists watch hotel beach resort go up in flames 10 to 15 minutes after fire breaks out

On the other side of the beach, the size of the fire can be seen as the smoke clouds grow.

‘I’ve had enough disasters in my life to tell you that you can’t make up for it. I got lost on a catamaran in a storm in Cuba a few years ago, so I’m okay with crisis because I’ve dealt with many crises instead of panicking. But then my adrenaline dropped and it was very emotional.’

Footage of the fire in the holiday resort shows holidaymakers struggling with large suitcases and bags on the beach and trying to escape with their belongings.

Shocking video showed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky as flames tore through what appeared to be at least a dozen buildings in the resort.

In the video, firefighters can be seen spraying water on burning buildings, but the hose is very small compared to the structure.

Dozens of witnesses gathered to watch the carnage as the hotel burned.

Ms Perry said it was difficult for a ‘single’ fire engine to reach the site because the roads were covered with cars.

The team later arrived at the scene and intervened in the fire with the help of the guests, as the bungalows were very close to each other.

He said: ‘We could hear sirens in the distance, but the authorities did not have the resources to fight the fire, they could not intervene because there were cars everywhere on the streets.

Picture: Guest rooms reduced to ashes as flames engulf the accommodation

Aftermath: This image shows damage to some buildings following the fire

Airborne emergency response lasted several hours as helicopters flew back and forth

Here, a helicopter is seen filling a large bucket with seawater before returning to the scene of the fire.

‘Originally there was only one fire truck on site and it looked like it had come from the airport. They (the authorities) are set up to fail. “It was extraordinary.”

The next day, Saturday, just as Mrs. Perry and her son were due to fly home, the hotel reception was packed with guests hoping for information as emergency packets of rice and beans were distributed to tourists.

He told the Mail: ‘The next day it was like a refugee camp in the reception area. But we didn’t complain because a poor Italian woman was killed.

‘I think it would be very selfish to go to reception and raise our concerns when we know someone has died.’

Ms. Perry and her son had originally planned to go on a trip on the last day of their Caribbean holiday, but decided to relax by the pool when the tragedy occurred that claimed the life of one person, an Italian woman.

But chaos continued for the British mother and her son, with their flight home delayed by six hours on Saturday after a diaper was found in the plane’s toilet, he said.

And their luggage remains at Punta Cana airport in the Dominican Republic. Luckily, their belongings were not damaged in the fire that broke out on Friday.

It has been confirmed that an Italian woman died in a fire early on Monday and the cause of death was carbon monoxide.

Italian reality star Francesca Valentino, 46, is seen with her husband in a Facebook photo. He died in a fire at the holiday village.

Dozens of witnesses gathered to watch the carnage as the hotel burned

Italian news agency ANSA reported that 46-year-old reality star Francesca Valentino collapsed and lost consciousness after inhaling a wave of thick smoke while trying to evacuate to the beach.

Before he died, he was taken to the hospital by private vehicle.

While three people were taken to health facilities, six people, including guests, visitors and emergency response teams, were treated at the scene.

Many holidaymakers escaped unharmed but lost their passports, money and personal belongings.

According to the Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center, the fire spread quickly due to the flammable nature of palm tree-covered roofs and windy conditions.

Hotel manager Amanda Santana said some tourists had lost their identification documents, including their passports, and authorities were coordinating with embassies to help affected visitors return home.

The fire has since been brought under control, but investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire and the exact circumstances surrounding Valentino’s death.

The Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center (COE) said, ‘Initial observations show that the fire is spreading rapidly due to the flammable nature of the palm parts of the roof structures and the wind conditions.’

The Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center said tourist activities in Bayahibe and surrounding areas continue normally.

A Foreign Office spokesman previously said: ‘We are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance to all affected British nationals.’

The department has been approached for further comment.