BEIRUT – A Syrian refugee camp in northern Lebanon was set on fire last night following a fight between those living there and a local family, reported state media.
United Nations refugee agency UNHCR confirmed that a large fire broke out at the camp in the Miniyeh region, and said some injured have been taken to hospital, but did not provide an exact number.
“The fire has spread to all the tented shelters” – made of plastic sheeting and wood – UNHCR spokesman Khaled Kabbara told AFP.
The camp housed around 75 families, he said.
The National News Agency reported that the blaze followed an “altercation” between a member of a Lebanese family and “Syrian workers”.
Other youths from the family then “set fire to some of the refugees’ tents”.
Lebanese Civil Defence personnel worked to control the blaze, while the army and police were deployed to restore calm, said the report.
A security source told AFP that shots were heard, saying the fight in the Bhanine area was sparked when Syrian workers demanded a wage that their employers refuse to pay.
However, the same source later said initial inquiries found that the dispute could have been sparked by the harassment of a Syrian woman.
“Some families have fled the area out of fear because there were also sounds of explosions caused by household gas canisters blowing up,” said Kabbara.
Lebanon says it hosts some 1.5 million Syrians, including a million registered as refugees with the UN.
Authorities have called on refugees to return to Syria even though rights groups warn that the war-torn country is not yet safe.
Last month, around 270 Syrian refugee families fled the northern Lebanese town of Bsharre after a Syrian national was accused of shooting dead a citizen, sparking widespread tension and hostility. – AFP, December 27, 2020
