Concern to Support 400 Young Children Following Blaze At Refugee Camp

Concern Worldwide is supporting over 400 children under five years who are among the 4,000 people directly affected by yesterday’s blaze in the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh.

The fire broke out at about 5:15 PM yesterday and, fanned by strong winds, quickly engulfed a section of the sprawling camp, home to one million Rohingya people.

“More than 800 households (4,000 people) are affected, with 300 shelters completely damaged and a further 500 partially damaged. The fire also affected around 30 host communities along with the periphery of the camp,” Concern’s Country Director for Bangladesh Fiona McLysaght said. “Fortunately, to date, there have been no reported deaths so far, but worryingly two children are still missing.”

Concern’s integrated nutrition facility, located in the part of the camp where the blaze broke out, was not damaged.

“The scale of the damage and the needs is still being assessed, but in the meantime, our priority will be to follow up with 423 children, aged under-five, directly affected by the fires, including 30 children who were being treated for malnutrition” Fiona said.

“We will also distribute clothing to those affected by the fires,” she added.

Fires are a significant threat in Cox’s Bazaar camps, with many temporary shelters constructed of bamboo and tarpaulin. Last March, a major blaze killed at least 16 people and left 50,000 homeless.