A fire broke out at a Rohingya camp in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, late Sunday night, destroying more than 25 homes.
According to sources, at least 25 houses were gutted in the blaze, which started around 10:30pm at Rohingya camps 24 and 25 in the Leda and Alikhali areas of Hnila Union.
Mohammad Alam, president of the Leda Development Management Committee in Teknaf, told Dhaka Tribune that preliminary reports suggest the fire originated in the house of a camp resident, Fatema Akter, possibly due to a mobile phone charger explosion.
“We have reached the spot and are trying to control the fire. Fire service personnel are also working to extinguish it,” he said.
Syed Alam, a resident of the Leda Rohingya camp, said the fire spread rapidly to several houses. “The fire service is working, and we are also trying to put out the fire ourselves. Meanwhile, more than 25 to 30 houses have already been burned. The fire is still not under control,” he added.
Another resident, Nur Akm Md Alam, said the blaze began in a hut inside the camp. “We immediately tried to control it together, but the intensity of the fire was very high, and we could not contain it. Now the fire service is working to extinguish the flames,” he said.
Confirming the incident, Additional DIG Muhammad Kawsar Sikder, commander of the 16th Armed Police Battalion (APBN), told Dhaka Tribune that houses in the area between the Alikhali and Leda Rohingya camps caught fire.
“All concerned agencies are working together to bring the situation under control. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed,” he said.
