When a fire broke out from a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, Dildar Begum ran, terrified, from her family’s shack to her brother’s house. “It looked like a fire from hell,” he said.
The fire that destroyed his home killed at least 15 people and left about 400 missing, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Non-profit organizations operating there warn of deteriorating conditions in the camp that hosts more than 720,000 Rohingya who fled a 2017 military offensive in neighboring Myanmar.
The fire started on Monday afternoon and burned overnight, displacing approximately 45,000 people and injuring more than 560, a UN agency spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Once the fire was over, Mrs. Begum, 48, returned to her family’s camp block, passing burned cows and human corpses. His family’s shantytown had been reduced to ashes, along with his possessions. “It simply came to our notice then. It looks like it would be better if we died, because we lost everything, “he said.
Anowar Azim, 25, said he tried to defeat the fire as he approached his home but could not. His wife left his home with his 1-year-old daughter as smoke and fire engulfed the area. They rushed to safety and are now staying with relatives.