COX'S BAZAR, Dec 24: Two people have been killed and 500 homes and structures burnt after a fire broke out at the Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya.
Two bodies were recovered from the scene, says Mohammad Tanharul, Deputy Director of the Fire Service. The incident occurred at the Lambashia 1-West camp's D-Block around 12:45pm on Tuesday.
Ten units of the Fire Service were able to bring the blaze completely under control after two hours of effort, according to Md Arif Hossein, chief of Ukhiya Police Station.
Citing locals, Arif said that a sudden fire broke out at a room in the D-Block and spread to nearby homes and structures.
When the incident was reported, the camp administration sent three units from the Ukhiya Fire Service Station to the spot.
Units from the Cox's Bazar and Teknaf Fire Service joined their efforts when they struggled to tame the fire.
Army personnel and local volunteers worked alongside the firefighters. The cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed, but OC Arif said, "Locals believe the fire may have started from an electrical short circuit or from a gas cylinder used for cooking." The extent of the damage could not immediately be confirmed, he said.
We received information about the fire around 12:35pm and moved to the spot. Around 3:00pm, firefighters brought the fire under control completely," said Shafiqul Islam, an officer of the Ukhiya Fire Service Unit.
Eight firefighting units joined the effort to douse the fire, Shafiqul said. Shafiqul said at least 546 houses of Rohingya refugees were burnt down and many shanties were damaged while extinguishing the fire.
He said that they primarily suspect the fire might have originated from a cooking stove.
