On the night of 2nd January 2019, around 10:00 PM, a fire engulfed one of the beautiful water villas in Gili Lankanfushi, taking the whole resort by surprise. When the fire was extinguished, it had burnt down 7 villas and the main restaurant and kitchen of the resort.
Industry professionals stated that such large fires were rare in the tourism industry and that the usual fires are easily extinguished before they cause too much losses. According to many, the reason that the fire proved difficult was due to the strong winds blowing from the north side.
The cause of the fire is stil unknown and Gili Lankafushi tweeted that they will conduct investigations to identify the reason for the fire. They stated that it is too early to conclude the losses caused by the fire.
The Minister of Tourism Mr. Ali Waheed also paid a visit to the resort upon hearing the news of the fire.
