A devastating fire broke out in the early hours in the Rohingya camps on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. The fire started in one of the blocks in camp 16, severely affecting hundreds of Rohingya refugee families. The fire completely destroyed 369 shelters and partially damaged 112 shelters; critical community infrastructure was also damaged, including latrines, bathing cubicles, water points, learning centers, mosques, and solar streetlights, further compounding the humanitarian impact. It is estimated that 2,185 people are directly impacted by the fire and in need of support; no casualty was reported. Fire Service officials confirmed that the blaze originated at a learning center and took more than 3 hours to fully extinguish.
CARE Bangladesh response
CARE Bangladesh was immediately on the ground for the fire response. Soon after the fire broke out, 13 staff members and 11 trained volunteers were deployed to support affected families and coordinate with different response Teams. Additionally, 158 program participants from CARE were mobilized to clear debris, clear access pathways, and shelter ashes to facilitate early recovery efforts. CARE teams also provided temporary shelter to several displaced Rohingya members in one of its Multipurpose Centers and provided psychosocial support services to affected women and adolescent girls with support from partner organization, Mukti Cox’s Bazar.
Following a coordination meeting with sector partners and camp authorities on the same day, CARE Bangladesh committed to supporting the construction of 100–120 new shelters for the fire-affected families. Immediate needs identified include emergency shelter materials, hot meals, hygiene & dignity kits, WASH & bathing facilities, psycho-social & protection services and repair/replacement of community infrastructure.
Speaking on the incident, Kaiser Rejve, Head of Programs for Cox’s Bazar, CARE Bangladesh, emphasized the urgency of strengthening fire prevention measures in the camps:
“CARE Bangladesh will continue to work collaboratively with government authorities, sector partners, and the Rohingya community to support families affected by this fire. Beyond the immediate response, we are committed to strengthening prevention efforts. Moving forward, CARE will incorporate dedicated fire safety sessions into its shelter upgrade and maintenance module to raise awareness and promote safer practices among the Rohingya community. Preventing future fires is critical to protecting lives, dignity, and the limited assets refugees have managed to rebuild.”
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For media enquiries contact Marianne Murat at +61 (0)466 440 160 or marianne.murat@care.org.au
About CARE International
CARE International is a humanitarian organisation leading the fight to end poverty in the world’s most challenging situations. Women and girls are at the centre of our work, because we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We know that when a crisis erupts, women are often the first to pick up the pieces, so we work alongside women, so they have the power to make change where it’s needed most. Founded in 1945, CARE currently works in over 120 countries and last year alone, reached 53.4 million people through nearly 1,500 projects. Find out more at https://www.care-international.org/
About CARE Australia
CARE Australia is one member of the global CARE Confederation. CARE Australia supports women and girls around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. We work in partnership with local communities to provide equal opportunities for women and girls to be educated and to earn an income, gain access to essential resources like food, health care and clean water, and to be able to withstand and recover from the increasing impacts of disasters, conflict and other crises. Our programs focus on women and girls because we know when one woman breaks the cycle of poverty she brings four others with her – and that’s a powerful multiplier of impact. Find out more at https://www.care.org.au
