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LESBOS – A fire destroyed Greece’s largest refugee camp, the Moria shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos, on Wednesday, leaving more than 10,000 people homeless. Although some were poisoned after inhaling a lot of smoke, there is still no information about the dead or the origin of the fire.
– The situation is chaotic. I just came from there and the central part of the field was still burning. Several areas, more than a third of the field, have been turned to ash. Thousands of people were left without shelter to sleep – explained by phone Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, a volunteer who works in the local association Stand by me Lesvos, at 9 am (local time, 3 am in Brasilia).
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According to local authorities, the fire started after a protest by refugees who had been isolated after around 35 cases of Covid-19 were recorded at the site.
– The new quarantine made people very angry, especially since the communication has not been done in a transparent way. They haven’t had enough water for months and are stuck in the field. Security, especially at night, is terrible and some criminal groups have proliferated. So when yesterday they took these people to an area of total isolation without explaining why, there were protests – said von der Osten-Sacken.
According to the police, the refugees were evacuated. Witnesses said they saw a large number of people leave the camp with their belongings. The streets near the camp were closed to prevent refugees from going to nearby cities, the BBC reported, amid tension in the region.
The Greek government decreed a state of emergency on Lesbos and sent the police to reinforce the situation there. At least 25 firefighters with ten vehicles, assisted by the police, faced the flames inside and outside the facility. According to officials, the refugees even pushed officers during the firefight.
One of the problems to be solved now is where these people will be staying. Deputy Migration Minister George Koumoutsakos said that some 3,000 immigrants and refugees would be temporarily housed in tents while the government tries to find alternative shelter for them. According to the Greek media, there is a possibility that they will be transferred to a nearby beach.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had received reports of tensions between people in neighboring villages and asylum seekers trying to reach the city of Mytilini.
However, the mayor of Mytilini, Stratis Kytelis, said that immigrants would have to be transferred or housed in boats to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“What happened last night in Moria is unthinkable, but tragically predictable, as the dire situation on the islands has been going on for a long time,” said Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, director of the International Rescue Committee of Greece.
Very crowded
The Moria facility houses around 13,000 people, more than four times its capacity. Human rights groups often criticize the camp for its poor conditions.
The camp was quarantined last week after authorities confirmed that an asylum seeker had been infected with the new coronavirus. Since then, the number of cases has risen to 35.
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Lesbos, which is located near the Turkish coast, was at the forefront of a massive movement of refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015-2016. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, since March 1, all migrants who arrived on the island have been quarantined outside the camps.
In Moria, humanitarian groups have warned that social distancing and basic hygiene measures are impossible to implement due to living conditions.
The Greek island also suffers from forest fires caused by strong winds in two other areas of the island.
