BANGKOK: A fire ripped through a camp housing some 9,000 refugees in western Thailand Monday and destroyed about 50 houses.
No casualties were reported in the fire that occurred at the Nu Po Refugee Camp which houses refugees mostly from Myanmar in the Umphang District of Tak Province at 1.40pm (2.40pm Malaysian time), said Umphang District deputy chief Kasem Taku.
The flames spread fast among the attap houses and the fire-fighting units brought the flames under control at around 3pm (4pm), he said in a statement.
He said the authorities were counting the number of people left homeless, and that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Nu Po camp, located 68km from Umphang, has some 9,000 people, 84% of whom are ethnic Karen / Kayin, according to The Border Consortium (TBC), the main provider of food, shelter and other forms of support to refugees living in camps in western Thailand. — Bernama
