Concern to support 400 young children following blaze at refugee camp

Press release10 January 2022

Rohingya refugees search among the ruins of shelters destroyed by the blaze at Cox's Bazar.

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

The fire broke out at about 5.15PM yesterday and, fanned by strong winds, quickly engulfed a section of the sprawling camp, which is 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, which is 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,” Ms McLysaght said.

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

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

For more information or interview requests, please contact Hannah Myerson, Senior Communications Officer, at [email protected].