A huge fire was blazed at Rohingya refugee camp on Monday, at Balukhali in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, destroying hundreds of tents, health centers and endangering the lives of tens of thousands of refugees.
According to Mohammad Shamsud Douza, additional commissioner of the government’s Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), the blaze erupted in the late afternoon on Monday and spread quickly through at least four blocks.
Though, no casualties were immediately reported, but deaths and injuries were feared.
Reportedly, five people are feared dead and at least 20,000 Rohingya have fled after the fire swamped their shelters at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh.
Nearly one million of the Muslim minority from Myanmar, many of whom fled a military crackdown in their homeland in 2017, were living in cramped and squalid conditions at the camps in the Cox’s Bazar district.
Fire services, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, and rescue and response teams remained at the spot till late at on evening, where they continued to try to control the fire and prevent its further spread, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Sources reported that the fire was brought under control after more than four hours of its eruption.
António Vitorino, Director General of the UN’s International Organization of Migration (IOM), said “tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees are affected.”
“It has been a challenging situation because many of these huts are in a hilly terrain where fire trucks can’t have access,” Tanvir Chowdhury reported from Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, adding that, “There is no kind of water system within the camp area to douse the fire.”
“So far, the fire has affected shelters, health centers, distribution points and other facilities. Volunteers are supporting those affected,” said Louise Donovan, spokesperson of the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR).
“All partners are providing support together with the RRRC and emergency services,” she said, adding that humanitarian partners have mobilized hundreds of volunteers from nearby camps to support the efforts, as well as fire safety vehicles and equipment.
Though the reason of explosion is not confirmed yet but according to the witnesses at the camp, the fire started at about 15:30 local time (10:30 GMT). Also, they believe, it started from a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder explosion.
While talking to media, Lalu Majhi, a Rohingya leader from Balukhali camp said, “The locals first tried to douse the fire on their own. But soon it started to spread rapidly.”
Reportedly, forces are helping to relocate the affected refugees from the camp.
Mayyu Khan, a Rohingya community leader, told agencies that “more than 700 tents” had been gutted.
Earlier in January, a fire was swept through another Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar that left thousands without shelter.