Child killed, 500 houses gutted in Rohingya camp fire

A child was killed and around 500 makeshift houses were burnt to ashes in a deadly fire that broke out at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar Tuesday afternoon.

Confirming the matter to The Business Post, Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Md Shamsud Douza said the firefighters brought the blaze under control around 6:30pm.

Earlier, four firefighting units — two each from Ukhiya and Cox’s Bazar Sadar fire stations — rushed to the spot to put out the flame that erupted around 5:15pm at a camp in Balukhali, he said.

“The fire originated from a makeshift house at Lombashia Camp-5 and spread around soon,” said Md Saiful, a resident of the camp.

Identity of the victim could not be known immediately.

Armed Police Battalion-14 Commander Naimul Haque said the APBn personnel were also working on the spot alongside the firefighters. Fires in Rohingya camps are not uncommon in the district, particularly in the Ukhiya upazila.

On February 25, a fire broke out at Balukhali Rohingya Camp-7 in Ukhiya.

On January 9, as many as 600 makeshift houses were gutted in a fire that broke out at Rohingya Camp-16 in the Palangkhali Shafuillakata area of the upazila.

Another massive fire broke out at a Covid isolation centre in extension-20 of Ukhiya Rohingya camp on January 2.