Fire destroys over 50 shelters in Rohingya camps

A fire has destroyed more than 50 shelters at two Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf, reports bdnews24.com.

The blaze broke out at around 10:30 pm on Sunday in the area between the Leda and Alikhali camps, also known as Camps 24 and 25, in Hnila Union.

Firefighters brought the fire under control after nearly two hours, according to Syed Md Morshed Hossain, a deputy assistant director at the Cox's Bazar Fire Service.

No casualties were reported, but officials said the extent of the damage was still being assessed.

Additional Deputy Inspector General Muhammad Kawsar Sikder, the commander of the 16 Armed Police Battalion (APBN), said more than 50 homes had been destroyed in the incident.

"The fire broke out suddenly at night. Around 50 shelters were burnt," said Mohammad Alam, president of the Leda Development Management Committee.

He added that swift action by firefighters helped prevent the blaze from spreading further.

Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation, with an electrical short circuit suspected.

Abul Fayez, a camp resident, said people in the camp tried to help put out the fire, but the flames spread rapidly as the shelters are made of bamboo and tarpaulin, and are built close together.

Khanjada Shahriar Bin Mannan, who is in charge of the Leda camp under the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, said shelters in several blocks were damaged and that a full assessment of losses was yet to be completed.