Tag: Fire April 7th

Last month, the camp faced a serious challenge due to a fire. On Tuesday April 7th at 11:15am, a fire broke out in Karenni Refugee Camp 1. A total of 148 homes were burned to the ground. This incident happened during the traditional festival of Kay Htoe Boe. The fire started at 11:15 and lasted for almost 2 hours. It destroyed 148 houses. This has left over 700 Karenni refugees without homes. One of the buildings destroyed was the primary school number 1. The fire narrowly missed one of the clinics. The fire started in a small house in section 1. It is believed a resident left a pot unattended. On a hot, windy day, the fire spread quickly throughout the camp due to the refugees only being allowed to build their houses with bamboo and dried leaves. Due to the hot season and a lack of materials, camp residents were unable to limit or control the fire. A lack of materials also affected resident’s ability to...