A devastating fire broke out at Shafiullah Kata Rohingya Camp (Camp 16) in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar, in the early hours of Tuesday. While the blaze caused extensive property damage, no casualties have been reported yet.
The fire reportedly started around 2:30am, said Mohammad Riaz, a community leader (Head Majhi) at the camp.
Volunteers initially mobilised to control the flames before being joined by units from the Fire Service, APBn (Armed Police Battalion), and the Bangladesh Army, he added.
The combined effort brought the fire under control after approximately three and a half hours.
According to Amir Hakim, a Sub-Majhi at the camp, the fire originated from a learning center operated by the NGO BRAC in Block D-4. The flames quickly spread to neighbouring sheds, moving from the western side of the camp hill toward the eastern and southern barbed-wire fences.
Many Rohingya families were forced to flee their houses, seeking temporary shelter in open areas or the houses of local residents.
Dollar Tripura, station officer of the Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defense, said that two units responded to the scene. “The fire was completely under control after three and a half hours of joint efforts by the fire service, volunteers, locals, and security forces,” he said, adding that the exact cause and total financial loss are still under investigation.
The Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights reported that more than 100 shelters in blocks D-2, D-3, and D-4 were entirely destroyed. The organisation emphasised that many families are now without shelter and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
This incident follows a series of recent fires in the Rohingya settlements.
On 25 December last year, a fire damaged over ten houses in the Kutupalong refugee camp. The following morning, 26 December, a hospital was destroyed in a fire at Camp 4. Most recently, on 28 December, a gas cylinder explosion at the Leda Camp (Camp 24) in Teknaf destroyed 113 shelters and partially damaged surrounding structures and blocks in the adjacent Camp 25.
