Fire at Cox's Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh destroyed homes and displaced thousands of Rohingya

BANGKOK — A massive fire this week destroyed hundreds of makeshift homes and displaced more than 2,000 people in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, prompting calls Thursday from relief agencies for more funding to build safer housing and help provide emergency aid.

The fire broke out in the early morning hours of Tuesday in Camp 16, one of more than 30 camps in the Cox's Bazar district that make up the world's largest refugee center, housing more than 1 million Rohingya who have fled persecution in neighboring Myanmar.

The United Nations' International Organization for Migration said it had created a new crisis for families already struggling to survive.

''When fires strike in overcrowded camp settings, the impact extends far beyond damaged infrastructure,'' said Lance Bonneau, IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh, in a statement. ''Families lose shelter, essential belongings, and access to basic services, increasing immediate protection risks."

It took firefighters about three hours to bring the blaze under control. While there were no fatalities and only a handful of minor injuries, many people lost not only their homes but also all their possessions, including identity documents and other important papers, the Norwegian Refugee Council told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The aid organization is among others operating inside the Cox's Bazar camps.

Overall the fire, whose cause has not yet been determined, destroyed 335 shelters and damaged 72 more, the organization said. It also damaged water and sanitation points in the camp, 11 learning centers and camp infrastructure and pathways.

The scale, organization and ferocity of the Myanmar military operation led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community, including the U.N.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, is currently hearing a case accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during its so-called ''clearance operation'' in 2017. Myanmar has denied the allegations.

Ongoing fighting in Rakhine, between government forces and groups opposing the military leaders who ousted democratically-elected Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, has led to tens of thousands more Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh.

Following the fire, the IOM, Norwegian Refugee Council and other agencies launched relief efforts to provide emergency aid to address immediate needs of those displaced, including blankets, mosquito nets, cooking supplies, hygiene kits and solar lights.

''While immediate assistance continues, the incident underscores the persistent fire risks facing refugee communities in Cox's Bazar,'' the IOM said.

The bamboo shelters, originally meant to last only six to 12 months, are packed together in close proximity in the overcrowded camps and are particularly vulnerable to fire, the organization said.

It cited one report that between May 2018 and December 2025 there had been 2,425 fires in the camps, affecting more than 100,000 people and damaging more than 20,000 shelters causing significant loss of life.

The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump last year to cut more than 90% of the United States Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world — coupled with cuts to international aid from several European countries — have led to a dire shortage in humanitarian aid funding around the world, including at Cox's Bazar.

In 2025, only about half the funds needed for the Rohingya response were received, resulting in a funding gap of $466.6 million, the Norwegian Refugee Council said.

''Funding now needs to be urgently stepped up so we can resume construction of the 50,000 approved semi-permanent shelters," said the organization, which has already started help build new temporary homes in the wake of the fire.