How Safe Are You From Fire?

The Allegro Cozumel Hotel caught fire on July 31. After starting in the Kids' Club, it spread quickly to the palapas (palm-thatched-roofs) of buildings, reports the Riviera Maya News. When staff members tried to extinguish the fire with hoses, they could draw no water. Hotel employees tried the fire extinguishers, but they were not in good condition, so the fire got out of control.

Twelve 12 eight-room villas were destroyed, along with three dive buildings, three Kids' Club buildings, and a massage building, all of which had palapa rooftops. The fire apparently started from a short circuit in a compressor in the Kids' Club. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation, two for first-degree burns, and two others for ankle sprains.

A few weeks previously, local authorities determined the hotel was at high risk after an inspection revealed failures in water pressure for their hydrants. Many of the 575 guests claimed there were no fire alarms.

At the time of writing, neither the hotel nor its parent company has issued a statement or compensated their guests.

For divers, the Allegro disaster raises the specter of being trapped by fire in an unfamiliar place. The 2019 Labor Day fire aboard the Conception, with 34 deaths, and the fire aboard the Red Sea Aggressor I shortly after, which killed one, focused us divers on escaping from liveaboards and led to serious discussions about smoke detectors, emergency hatches, and night patrols on vessels since.

Both boat fires were likely caused by lithium batteries that were being charged, overheating and igniting. While liveaboards worldwide have become more careful about battery charging, it's not the same in hotels, where people will charge their batteries without thought. Your safety rests with the behavior of other guests.

Fire regulations you take for granted at home will not be as rigid in the remote locations we favor for dive trips. When you book into a dive hotel or any hotel, do you check if the emergency exit routes are viable before you hit the sack? Safely ensconced in your hotel room, you cannot be aware of what might be going on in the next room or anywhere else in the building.

Third-world buildings may be constructed from materials that burn easily and fast. You may see fire extinguishers, but are they charged? They should have a visible charging expiration date or a pressure gauge showing whether they are ready for action. Check the smoke detectors. An indicator light that flashes every minute or so will show if they're active.

So, keep in mind that in many places we travel, it's a case of "buyer beware." You have to protect yourself.

-John Bantin