Fires hit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh
Blazes in Cox’s Bazar refugee settlements raze shelters and medical facility, underscoring chronic fire risks in overcrowded Rohingya camps
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Fires tore through two Rohingya refugee settlements in southeastern Bangladesh overnight, destroying several makeshift homes and a health service facility, authorities said, highlighting persistent safety risks in one of the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camps.
Bangladesh’s fire services said a late-night blaze broke out in a residential block of the Kutupalong registered refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, destroying five shanties before being brought under control. Several hours later, a separate fire engulfed and completely destroyed a health service post in another Rohingya camp nearby.
Fire officials said the first incident occurred on Thursday night, when flames spread quickly through tightly packed shelters built from bamboo, tarpaulin, and plastic sheets. Firefighters, assisted by Rohingya residents, managed to contain the blaze before it spread further. No injuries were reported.
In the second incident, early Friday morning, a fire broke out at a health post operated by OBAT Helpers Bangladesh inside a different camp block. The blaze burned for nearly two hours, completely destroying the facility and its medical supplies, according to officials.
Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby shelters, avoiding wider damage. Health workers said the destroyed facility had been providing free medical services to Rohingya refugees as well as members of the surrounding host community. The cause of both fires was still under investigation, officials added.
While no casualties were reported, aid workers warned that even small fires pose serious dangers in the camps, where shelters are densely packed and emergency access remains limited. Over the years, repeated fires have destroyed thousands of homes, displaced families, and disrupted essential services in the Rohingya settlements.
Bangladesh hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled genocide in neighboring Myanmar. Many have lived for years in sprawling camps around Cox’s Bazar, where overcrowding, fragile shelter materials, and reliance on open flames for cooking make fires a constant threat.
Humanitarian agencies have long called for stronger fire prevention measures, safer cooking systems, and improved emergency infrastructure, warning that each blaze — even when contained — deepens the vulnerability of an already displaced population.
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