Fire in Mae La Refugee Camp Last Night

Burma Link, March 25, 2014

Fire broke out in Mae La refugee camp last night at around 9.30 pm in Zone B Section 4 and 5. No one has been reported injured.

The fire destroyed 18 houses while further 29 houses were dismantled to stop the fire from spreading. Refugees told Burma Link that the fire started from candle light inside one of the bamboo houses, but was quickly brought under control by a Thai fire truck stationed inside the camp.

“It was lucky. It wasn’t that bad because it was night time and there was not much wind. It was also near the road so the fire truck could easily come, and the houses were right next to a stream”, a member of The Border Consortium (TBC) shelter staff, who deliver shelter materials for refugees, told Burma Link.

Most people affected by the fire are now staying in their relatives’ houses or in other houses that have room inside. “We have to make a list of people whose houses were destroyed and then we need to report to TBC and ask for new building materials. They will have to wait for a few days until the materials will arrive”, the shelter staff member continued.

Some of the houses that burnt down had just been repaired with new shelter materials. Among the destroyed houses were one house of a TBC shelter staff member as well as the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) office.

Refugees staying in Zone A said they saw huge flames and people screaming and running away from the fire. “We could see the flames and the light from Zone A2. We thought the fire was at least as big as the one before

[in Zone C in December]”. In December 2013, a fire in Mae La Zone C destroyed approximately 120 homes and left 600 refugees homeless.

Refugees in the camps are increasingly concerned over fires that are frequently sparked in the camps. “I never sleep at night time because I am afraid of fires”, one refugee woman told Burma Link. The fears are well-founded as refugees’ homes are made of bamboo and roofs are covered with dry leaves.

Fires also occur frequently in the camps, often with devastating consequences. In March 2013, a fire in Ban Mae Surin refugee camp killed 37 refugees. In February 2012 a fire in Umpiem Mai refugee camp destroyed more than 1,000 homes affecting 4,400 refugees. Last month, eleven homes were burned in a fire in Umpiem Mai.

Refugees are not allowed to use permanent building materials in the camps that, despite having been on the border for 30 years, are considered by Thai authorities as ‘temporary shelters’.