The large fire that swept through camp 11 under the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) area of responsibility in Cox's Bazar Sunday, impacted around 12,000 Rohingyas, causing considerable damage to sections of the world's largest refugee camp.
Around 2,000 shelters were destroyed in the fire while many of the affected Rohingyas lost all of their belongings leaving many experiencing fear, despair, and hopelessness.
The fire was first reported around 2:45pm yesterday, and the IOM immediately mobilised response teams to assist the refugees and bring the situation under control in coordination with the local authorities and the fire service.
The IOM also mobilised its Disaster Management Unit (DMU) volunteers to create fire breaks to stop the blaze from spreading and mitigate the loss of life and property. The cause and origin of the fire are unknown at this stage. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported so far.
Immediately after the incident, the IOM mobilised two mobile medical teams with 14 ambulances on standby to assist as needed. Also, the IOM deployed its eight trained Communications with Communities teams to ensure people have access to the right information.
The IOM is collaborating with other humanitarian actors on the ground to conduct assessments to gauge the damage caused by Sunday's fire and the immediate and long-term needs of those affected.
The IOM, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies, is targeting the distribution of emergency shelter kits consisting of tarpaulins, bamboo, and ropes to all the affected families. Less than 24 hours after the fire, the IOM mobilised 900 Rohingya volunteers through cash-for-work initiatives, to support the removal of debris from the site.
The conditions in the camps make large fires a real risk. In March 2021, a massive fire that broke out in the camp resulted in the loss of lives, and displaced 45,000 Rohingya refugees.
On January 2, 2022, a fire caused significant damage to the IOM's Severe Acute Respiratory Infection and Isolation and Treatment Center in camp 20 Extension, and was followed by a second fire a week later when a section of the Rohingya refugee camp 16 was razed to the ground leaving more than 1,700 refugees affected with no fatalities.
The IOM's initial estimates of the response to the damage in the areas of shelter, cooking fuel, site management and development, water, sanitation and hygiene, and health amount to $7.4 million.
Source: United News of Bangladesh