In Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, a fire broke out at the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp, killing two people and burning hundreds of homes and buildings.
Mohammad Tanharul, the deputy director of the Fire Service, reported finding two bodies at the scene.
The incident happened on Tuesday at approximately 12:45 p.m. at the D-Block of the Lambashia 1-West camp.
According to Md Arif Hossein, chief of Ukhiya Police Station, ten fire service units managed to fully contain the fire after two hours of work.
“A sudden fire broke out in a room in the D-Block and spread to nearby homes and structures,” Arif said, citing locals.
The camp administration dispatched three units from the Ukhiya Fire Service Station to the scene upon receiving reports of the incident. Their efforts to contain the fire were aided by units from the Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf Fire Services.
Alongside the firefighters were volunteers from the community and members of the Army.
OC Arif stated that although the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, “locals believe the fire may have started from an electrical short circuit or from a gas cylinder used for cooking.”
He said it was not possible to confirm the extent of the damage right away.