Fifteen burnt alive, 400 missing

At least 15 people have been killed while 400 people still remain missing in a massive fire that ripped through Balukhali Rohingya camp in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar, said Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG). 

Some 560 people were injured as officials continued to sift through the debris looking for more victims on Tuesday.

The humanitarian organization reported that at least 45,000 people were displaced due to the fire that broke out at Balukhali Rohingya camp 8 and camp 9 in Cox's Bazar’s Ukhiya around 4 pm on Monday.

Meanwhile, a seven-member probe committee, headed by the Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation commissioner, has been formed by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, said Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) DIG Anwar Hossain.

After trying for almost six hours, seven units of the Fire Service, along with the army, police, Armed Police Battalion (APB) members, Red Crescent team and local villagers, brought the fire under control around 10pm, said Shamsud Douza, additional commissioner for Relief and Refugee Repatriation.

Local UP Chairman Gafur Uddin said: “At least 10,000 shanties of Rohingya families and 200 shanties of Bangladeshi families have been gutted in the devastating fire in the Rohingya camp.

"Thousands of Rohingyas have taken refuge in Balukhali Qasim Mia High School in the wake of the fire. Many relatives of these Rohingyas who have taken refuge are missing," he added.

“At least 10,000 to 15,000 Rohingya families have been affected by the fire,” said Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahmad Nizam Uddin.

Ukhiya's Balukhali Commander of APBn 8 and Superintendent of Police Md Shihab Kaishar said: "The barracks of APBn 4 were partially burnt in the fire. However, weapons and furniture were safely removed. Apart from Rohingya huts, several NGO offices, schools, and madrasas were also gutted in the blaze.”

Humanitarian organization Refugees International, which estimated 50,000 people had been displaced, said the extent of the damage may not be known for some time, reports Reuters.

Ukhiya Fire Service Station Officer Md Emdadul Haque said: “It is difficult to say how much damage was caused by the fire. It should be a lot as more than 1.5-2km of area has been burned down.” 

Abdul Hamid, a Rohingya leader at the camp, said the fire burned thousands of shanties, including about 500 shanties under his supervision.

The fire also left Balukhali Balibazar, the biggest local market at the Rohingya camp, in ashes. Products worth at least Tk 50 crore were gutted in the fire, the Rohingya leader added.

Locals claimed the fire started from a shack inside camp 8.

However, Ukhiya police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gazi Salauddin said no credible sources had confirmed how the fire started.

He said Rohingyas at the scene are giving different accounts of the fire and blaming each other.

“We will learn about the real reason after investigation,” the police official said.

According to a situation report by Brac, based on the primary assessment, it is assumed that the fire started from a gas cylinder blast. The power of the blast was so strong that the fire spread within a short period of time. Due to frequent winds, the fire spread rapidly and engulfed its surrounding areas.

The incident site shelters over 122,000 people who are all currently squatting in the nearby open areas.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Antonio Vitorino expressed concern about the fire.

He said in a tweet: “I am deeply concerned by the impact of a terrible fire in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees are affected. IOM teams and partners are working together to respond to the crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of all.”

Unicef has expressed its deepest sympathy to the Rohingyas affected by Monday's fire in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.

“Unicef and our partners are on the ground addressing the immediate and urgent needs of children and families. Unicef has mobilized health teams for first aid support as well as volunteers to evacuate refugees from their shelters," said Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Tomoo Hozumi.  

Earlier in January, at least 500 makeshift dwellings were gutted in a fire at the Nayapara Rohingya refugee camp in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.