Thousands of refugees left homeless after fires in two camps in Nepal

(March 24, 2011) Up to 6,000 refugees from Bhutan were left homeless after fire swept through two U.N. camps in eastern Nepal. At least 3,000 people were left without shelter and 20 were injured Tuesday after a fire in Goldhap camp destroyed about 700 of 800 huts, reported the UCA News. Hours later, two children were injured and several thousand were made homeless in the fire at Sanichare camp. Jesuit Father Paramasivam Amalraj, Jesuit Refugee Service field director for Nepal, said more than 500 huts were reduced to ashes in 90 minutes in Goldhap camp. He said the fire also burned two Jesuit-run youth centres and a health centre. Father Amalraj said the second fire destroyed about 180 huts in 45 minutes. He said aid organizations such as Caritas Nepal and the Red Cross were working to provide relief assistance to the victims. Eyewitnesses said the Goldhap fire broke out around 7:30 a.m., and, because of windy conditions, quickly spread before fire crews could arrive. It was not clear how the blaze started. A Government-led committee has been set up to coordinate immediate emergency aid, and the UN World Food Programme and their non-governmental organization and humanitarian partners, including Caritas, Lutheran World Federation, the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia and the Nepal Red Cross, have started distributing food, blankets, cooking kits and tarpaulins for shelter. A local government official said the federal government would give each victim 1,500 rupees.