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Fire hits Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh

A massive fire has raced through a crammed refugee camp for Rohingya in Bangladesh, leaving thousands homeless.

Rohingya refugee camp fire
Smoke rises after a fire broke out at Balukhali Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar district. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
Published On 5 Mar 2023

A massive fire raced through a crammed refugee camp for Rohingya in southern Bangladesh on Sunday, leaving thousands homeless, a fire official and the United Nations said.

No casualties were reported immediately at the Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar district, said Emdadul Haque, a fire service official.

The UNHCR in Bangladesh said in a tweet that Rohingya refugee volunteers were responding to the fire with the agency and its partners providing support. It provided no further details.

More than one million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar over several decades, including about 740,000 who crossed the border starting in August 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown.

Conditions in Myanmar have worsened since a military takeover in 2021, and attempts to send them back have failed.

Rohingya refugee camp fire
The fire started from a room in the B block of camp number 11 of Balukhali on Sunday. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
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Rohingya refugee camp fire
'We currently don't have an estimate for damages but there are no reports of casualties,' said Rafiqul Islam, additional police superintendent at Cox's Bazar. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
Rohingya refugee camp fire
The refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh are prone to such blazes. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
Rohingya refugee camp fire
Similar fires occurred in January 2022 and March 2021. While the fire in 2022 destroyed only homes, the massive blaze in 2021 killed at least 15 refugees and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
Rohingya refugee camp fire
The UNHCR in Bangladesh said in a tweet that Rohingya refugee volunteers were responding to the fire with the agency and its partners were providing support. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
Rohingya refugee camp fire
Rohingya refugees look on as flames and smoke rise after a fire broke out at Balukhali refugee camp. [Ro Maung Hla Myint Arafat/ Al Jazeera]
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Rohingya refugee camp fire
Rohingya refugees try to salvage their belongings. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
Rohingya refugee camp fire
More than one million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar over several decades, including about 740,000 who crossed the border starting in August 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]