A fire broke out in the Kyein Ni Pyin Muslim IDP camp in Pauktaw Township, Arakan State, around 5:30 pm the previous evening. The fire engulfed 150 houses and 35 shelters, leaving more than 3,000 people homeless.
The fire broke out in U Lalia’s house while his wife was cooking in the kitchen, a camp official told Narinjara.
U Aung Kyaw Tun, the person in charge of the IDP camp, told Narinjara that the fire lasted until about 9 pm and was not extinguished until all the surrounding houses were burned.
“No one was injured. The value of a good house can be up to MMK 15 million . About 12 such houses were destroyed by the fire. Some residents lost their stored rice in the fire. They also could not recover their cash or gold. They had stored rice with cash provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) and it is gone now,” he said.
The fire left 37,100 people from the camp homeless and they are currently staying in schools and with their relatives.
U Lalia and his wife left the camp for fear of arrest after the fire, the camp official added.
On the night of the fire, the deputy administrator of Pauktaw Township and some government officials visited the IDP camp, and they plan to visit again on 8 May.
More than 7,000 Muslim IDPs live in the camp, which was opened after the communal conflict in Arakan State in 2012.
Sent by Narinjara.