No one was injured when the fire hit the island resort on Wednesday night. However, guests were sent fleeing the 45 overwater villas as the fire tore through the wooden walkways and luxury accommodations. The fire was fueled by unusually strong winds. The strong winds also helped the fire to jump from the overwater villas onto the island, destroying a restaurant at the resort.
The fire took firefighters more than six hours to extinguish, partly due to the strong winds. While the fire was extinguished and no one was injured, the resort has confirmed that it will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The resort is contacting guests with future reservations to assist in finding alternate accommodations. The resort has also confirmed that it is assisting guests who were on the property at the time of the fire in finding alternate accommodations for the remainder of their stay.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. The Maldives National Defence Force stated that it has dispatched a team to investigate. Gili Lankanfushi management has provided a full press statement regarding the fire. The hotel hopes to open sometime later this year.
H/T: The Telegraph
