On Monday, a massive fire swept over thousands of Rohingya refugee camps in Balukhali in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, destroying homes and putting the lives of tens of thousands of refugees in danger.
On Tuesday, an official in charge of the Kutupalong refugee camp said that the fire destroyed at least 3,000 shelters as it spread quickly through the refugee camp.
On late Monday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said that fire services, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner and rescue and response teams were present at the spot, trying to control the further spread of fire in the camp.
Rohingya refugees in the camps said many homes were burned down and several people died but the UNHCR didn’t confirm any deaths due to the fire.
The UNHCR said humanitarian partners mobilized hundreds of volunteers from nearby camps for the support operation, as well as fire safety vehicles and equipment.
The cause of the fire has not been known yet.