The massive fire, which broke out late Monday night at the Shafiullah Kata Rohingya camp in Ukhiya, has reduced hundreds of dwellings and communal facilities to ashes.
The blaze, which began at approximately 2:30am on Monday, swept through Block D-4 of Camp 16 in Palongkhali Union of Cox’s Bazar while most residents were asleep.
According to official reports, at least 465 structures were affected, including 448 shelters, 10 learning centres, two mosques, and one maktub, all of which were completely destroyed. While thousands of refugees have been left homeless, no loss of life has been reported in the incident.
Currently, many of the displaced families are living under the open sky, while others have sought temporary refuge in nearby learning centres, mosques, and maktubs that survived the blaze.
Residents described a scene of absolute chaos as the fire spread rapidly through the densely packed sheds. Laila Begum, a resident of Block D-4, recounted waking up to screams and fleeing with her children, leaving all her possessions behind to be consumed by the flames.
Similarly, 70-year-old Razia Begum, and Mohammad, a 60-year-old disabled resident from Block D-2, stated they only survived because others helped them escape before the fire reached their homes.
Another resident, Hafez Kalim Ullah, expressed profound grief over the loss of his religious books, radio, and tape recorder, stating that losing his “only tools for teaching” was more painful than losing his home.
The Fire Service and Civil Defence deployed eight units from Cox’s Bazar, Ukhiya, Ramu, and Teknaf to the scene. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly four hours, hampered by strong winds, before finally bringing it under control at 5:45am.
Syed Md Morshed Hossain, Deputy Assistant Director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service, noted that while a kitchen stove is the suspected cause – potentially originating near a learning centre – a formal investigation is required to confirm the exact origin.
Captain Reaz Uddin Ahmed of the 8th Armed Police Battalion (APBn) stated that his personnel worked in close coordination with the fire service to move affected people to safer locations and have since tightened security in the area.
Rifat Asma, the Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), visited the site and confirmed that emergency aid is being organised. She further announced that a formal investigation committee is being formed to look into the incident and determine why these fires are occurring repeatedly in the camps.
Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), assured that immediate relief has been provided and a comprehensive list of damages is being prepared.
This incident marks the third fire in Ukhiya camps in recent days, following blazes on 25 and 26 December, leading to growing concerns and calls for investigations into whether these events involve planned sabotage.
