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Thousands of houses were destroyed in a fire that broke out at Balukhali camp in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar yesterday afternoon. Photo: Kaler Kantho
Around 10,000 houses were burned in a devastating fire at the Balukhali Rohingya camp in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar on Monday. Hundreds of tents were burned at the same time. Six people died and several more were injured in the fire. Many children and the elderly have been reported missing.
Thousands of residents of the Rohingya camp lost their homes in the fire and took refuge on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway. The homeless have lost all their belongings in their camping cabins. Many Rohingya women and children cry on the road because they cannot find their relatives, including their children.
The Ukhia Upazila Nirbahi (UN) official said around 10 am last night: “At least 9,000 Rohingya families have lost their shelter in the fire. At the same time, hundreds of houses of the locals were burned down. The fire was controlled, but the police cleared the entire area. As a result, we still do not get an accurate picture of the damage and casualties in the fire. However, there is a risk of death in the fire.
The Balukhali Rohingya camp is quite large. The fire started around 2 p.m. yesterday. In a moment it spread everywhere. In a moment, the fire took a terrible shape. Blocks 6, 9, 10 and 11 of the camp were completely burned by the fire. Several NGO offices in Balukhali camp and an APBN barracks were also burned.
According to a reliable local source, the market area adjacent to the Balukhali market was the hardest hit by the fire. Hundreds of stores here have been completely burned down. Each of the Rohingya-run stores contained products worth millions of rupees. Between two and three hundred houses of the residents of this market have also burned down. Several people were reported to have died in the camp. Initially, six people were burned to death, the sources said. However, the administration could not confirm the veracity of this news.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner after receiving news of the fire. Mamunur Rashid and superintendent of police. Hasanuzzaman went to the place.
At the start of the fire, locals and Rohingya living in the camp tried to control the fire. But the spread of the fire continues to grow. Upon receiving the news, several fire crews arrived at the scene around 5:15 pm. Seven teams from the city of Cox’s Bazar district, Ramu, Ukhia and Teknaf Fire Service caught fire. It was possible to control all the fire around 10 o’clock at night.
Exact information on how the fire started is unknown. The local population has diverse information about it. The Rohingya blame each other for this. People in the Balukhali area said the Rohingya camp caught fire from several places at once. Rumors have spread that some Rohingya have set flammable substances on fire. Members of the 17th Armed Battalion (APBN), which is in charge of maintaining law and order in the camp, also reportedly detained six to seven Rohingya during the incident. However, no APBN official has commented on the matter.
Abdus Shukur, a Rohingya, said the fire started in block 7 of the camp. The fire quickly spread from a tent. He ran with his wife and children and took refuge on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Highway.
Ukhia Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Gazi Salauddin told reporters last night that no credible information was immediately available about the start of the fire. If you go to the place and ask the Rohingya, they are also giving different information one by one.
Mohammad Tanzeem, in charge of Rohingya Camp No. 7 in Balukhali, said four units from the fire service came and tried to control the fire.
Cox’s Bazar Additional Commissioner for Refugee Aid and Repatriation. Samsuddauja said it was not immediately known how much damage was done to the camp’s settlements and the lives and property of the Rohingya.
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