Fire devastates Honduras' Caribbean resort island of Guanaja

Smoke billows from a fire at a residential area on the island of Guanaja, Honduras in this screen grab taken from a video taken October 2, 2021. COPECO/Reuters TV via REUTERS

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A huge fire destroyed or damaged more than 200 houses and businesses on the Honduran island of Guanaja on Saturday, forcing hundreds of residents to flee for safety and ravaging the tourism-dependent resort, relief authorities said.

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