Fire at Karen refugee camp leaves 3,500 refugees homeless



MAE HONG SON: -- About 3,500 Karen displaced persons are left homeless after their 250 shelters at a refugee camp near the Myanmar border in Mae Hong Son province were completely razed to the ground in a fire on Tuesday morning.

Mae Hong Son’s Muang district officer, Mr Saravuth Thaicharoen, said that the fire was believed to have started at the shelter occupied by Mrs Pameh who left the kettle being boiled after she left the shelter.

Fanned by strong wind, the fire quickly engulfed the shelter and spread to the other shelters which were made of wood and grass. Fire trucks which were later rushed to the scene failed to put the fire under control.

Mr Saravuth said that all the Karens would be temporarily housed at nearby Wat Nai Sob school.

Bottled drinking water and other relief materials are being sent to the Karen refugees by international aid agencies.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/fire-at-karen-refugee-camp-leaves-3500-refugees-homeless


-- Thai PBS 2015-04-08

Terrible. 3500 homeless. All of their 'homes' (and possessions) destroyed. Many of our problems are relatively nothing compared to theirs.

Thank goodness for international aid agencies.

It was only 2 years ago a similar fire in a Karen refugee camp, Ban Mae Surin, Mae Hong Song. Also from a cooking fire but with 37+ deaths. Sadly, didn't learn from that one and put in place better fire prevention and support measures.

BANGKOK, Thailand, March 26, 2013 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that the death toll from a fire that swept through a refugee camp on Thailand's border with Myanmar has risen to 37, while 2,300 refugees have been left homeless.

The fire broke out in Ban Mae Surin camp in Mae Hong Son province on Friday afternoon. It spread quickly to destroy more than 400 homes, a school, clinic, warehouse, community facilities as well as government and aid agency offices. Refugees with serious burns have been taken to local hospitals.

UNHCR

This is kind of an annual event isn't it.

They don't have any possessions to lose that the can't get from the forest and their housing is made to burn in seconds especially in the dry season.