More than 800 children hit by fire in Thai refugee camp, Save the Children mounts emergency response

More than 800 children are homeless following a devastating fire at a refugee camp in Thailand three days ago.  According to Save the Children, 2,300 people have now been made homeless following the blaze, while 35 people have been killed and another 100 injured.

Save the Children mounted an emergency response to assist the thousands of people affected by the fire in Ban Mae Surin refugee camp in Northern Thailand, and is currently preparing a distribution of basic relief packages to the over 800 children hit by the blaze.

 “These children’s homes have been reduced to ashes,” said Allison Zelkowitz, Save the Children’s Thailand Program Director. “As refugees, many have already fled in terror from their homes back in Myanmar. And in one blaze, they have now lost everything all over again – all of their belongings have been torched, they have nothing left.”

The camp houses about 3,500 Myanmar refugees, largely Karennis, who fled from ethnic conflict in their home country. Due to the remote location of the camp, and restrictions on refugees’ movement, children’s lives in the camps are limited, and they do not have regular contact with the world outside the camp.

Save the Children warns many children will be severely distressed, with some having lost friends or family members in the fire that destroyed any normalcy the children would have known. The aid agency is working to set up child-friendly spaces that provide children with a safe place to play and talk through their experiences while giving parents a respite from child-caring so they can begin rebuilding their lives and homes.

“It is important for children to feel a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible after experiencing any disaster,” said Allison Zelkowitz. “Save the Children’s child-friendly spaces allows them to play and learn with other children while the adults rebuild the community. It also gives them an opportunity to talk about their experiences with trained social workers.”

Save the Children has been working in Thailand for nearly 30 years, and works across the nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, providing education to refugee children and working to keep them safe from harm. The aid agency also works to support families in regaining access to an income so they can provide for their children.