Fire guts COVID-19 isolation center in Bangladeshi Rohingya camp

A dedicated COVID-19 isolation center at Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh was gutted in a fire Sunday night, but the patients there were apparently unharmed, according to official sources.

"The fire broke out at around 7 pm local time [1300 GMT] and we doused it after two hour-long hectic efforts along with Rohingya refugees and locals," a Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defense officer in Cox's Bazar told Anadolu Agency.

All 12 Rohingya isolated at the center-though the center has 70 isolation beds-were reportedly safely transferred to another location.

He added that the incident would be investigated by the fire service, adding that according to eyewitness and evidence so far, "We are predicting that the fire may have originated from an electric short circuit."

A major fire at the world's largest refugee camp last March killed at least 15 members of the community and burned to ashes more than 10,000 shanties, including a Turkish field hospital.

Since late 2017, the camps have housed some one million Rohingya Muslims who fled an organized persecution campaign in neighboring Myanmar.