Fires in Cox's Bazar refugee camps ^{CEFR B1}

Fires have repeatedly reshaped the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Between May 2018 and December 2025 there were 2,425 documented fires that affected over 100,000 people and destroyed more than 20,000 shelters. An additional fire in January 2026 displaced 2,185 people.

Several major blazes caused heavy loss. On 22 March 2021 a fire in Camp 9 killed fifteen people, displaced 45,000 and destroyed more than 10,000 shelters. On 5 March 2023 a blaze in Camp 11 destroyed 2,800 shelters and displaced 12,000 people; a later investigation described that fire as "planned sabotage." On 7 January 2024 flames in Camp 5 destroyed 900 shelters and displaced around 5,000 refugees, including 3,500 children.

Responders face many problems. Shelters are built from bamboo, tarpaulin and plastic rope, there is overcrowding, narrow corridors and limited water for firefighting. Barbed wire trapped people in the 2021 fire and made escapes harder. Investigations and witnesses link some large fires to armed groups, and reports show rising killings and abductions in recent years.

Humanitarian aid provides emergency shelter, food, water and medical care, but prevention and long-term plans have stalled. A promised project for 50,000 semi-permanent fire-resistant shelters remains unfunded after aid cuts in early 2025. Officials call for safer layouts, firebreaks and professional fire services, but political limits on permanence constrain big investments.