Early Morning Fire at Exotic Caye Resort in San Pedro PLUS Updated Information and the Morning After

4:30am.  February 25.

A fire at Exotic Caye Resort on Ambergris Caye is now under control.  Reportedly starting around 2:30am at the southwest corner (farthest from Crazy Canuck’s Bar) and on the street, the fire evacuated the hotel as well as neighbors at Corona Del Mar Resort.

Across the street, people helped wet the Pepperoni’s Pizza building.

After a few days of high winds, tonight, THANKFULLY, the breeze died down and is currently coming from the SE at about 3-5 miles an hour.

Early pictures (by Le Roi Hyde) show a large fire at the traditional wood and thatch resort. And photos by Marla Vanderlaan.

But by the time I arrived, at about 3:30am, the San Pedro fire department was on the scene and water was dousing the flames.

Three resort buildings have lost their thatch roofs completely and are burned out.

Crazy Canuck’s Bar remains untouched and though too dark to tell if the yoga room and Melt Cafe were damaged by smoke and water, both were untouched by the heavy flames.

Guests at Corona Del Mar Hotel (just south of Exotic Caye) have bags packed and are waiting for the “all-clear” before re-entering the building.

It is my understanding that no one was hurt during the fire and that it is now under control.

For a few additional photos and information on operating hours, please check the Crazy Canucks Beach Bar facebook page.

Noon, February 25

I just returned from Exotic Caye Resort and had a chance to talk to some of the maintenance staff as well as some of the guests that were staying in the rooms that have been destroyed by the fire.

The entrance, Crazy Canuck’s Bar, Melt Cafe are all fine.

You can see how close Melt Cafe and above it, the Yoga Room, are to the buildings that are completely scorched.  The relative lack of wind, its direction and the fact that the fire department’s first task on arrival was wetting this building down, saved it.

(Melt Cafe on the right hand side of the picture.)

And to the left…

The fire seems to have started in this laundry room towards the South West end of the property.

 

I spoke with the gentleman who was staying the the room above (the lower left room in this photo).  He is with a larger group from Washington State.

Here is the room.

They were woken at about 2:30pm by banging and yelling at the door.  When he looked out of his back window, he saw the blaze.

He said that most people were able to pack up their things and all evacuated to Corona Del Mar (where they are staying now).  Everyone is safe.

His friend, a fireman in the states, says that though the water pressure was low for the firemen of San Pedro, they were able to wet down the surrounding buildings and effectively put of the blaze.

The building at the south end of Exotic Caye closed to the beach was saved as well.