Fire at Pauktaw Twsp IDP camp leaves thousands homeless

By Admin 08 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
8 May 2023, Pauktaw

A fire at a camp for Muslim internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kyeinnipyin Village, part of Arakan State’s Pauktaw Township, left thousands of IDPs homeless on Sunday as nearly 200 homes were burnt down in the blaze.

The fire engulfed 185 homes in the camp, said Ko Abdul Phadul, an official from the camp.

“The fire was caused by embers in a kitchen and no casualties were reported in the blaze. The fire left over 3,700 Muslim IDPs homeless and the homeless are currently living in temporary shelters,” he added.

The fire outbreak at the Muslim IDP camp in Kyeinnipyin Village on May 7 resulted in financial losses of K600 million and emergency assistance is needed to rebuild homes for Muslim IDPs and provide them with food, the IDPs said.

“My home was destroyed by the fire. The most difficult thing for us now is to get a house to live in. When the weather is so hot, we have no place to live. We are facing livelihood difficulties and I heard there will be a storm soon,” said Ko Kyaw Hla, a Muslim IDP.

More than 7,000 Muslims from over 1,400 households are taking refuge at the Kyeinnipyin displacement camp, which was set up in 2021.

Arakan State has seen at least 35 fire outbreaks since January, in which 225 houses were burnt and six deaths were reported, according to the Arakan State Fire Services Department.

Arakan State saw a total of 73 fire outbreaks last year, with financial losses totalling over 136 million kyats, according to the state fire services department.