A cooking-accident fire at a Thai refugee camp killed 37 Karen refugees and displaced over 2,300 people, highlighting the dangers faced in makeshift camp settlements.
Key Facts
- Death toll
- 37 (21 men, 16 women)
- Injured
- At least 100–200+
- Displaced persons
- At least 2,300
- Fire duration
- Approximately 2 hours
- Structures destroyed
- Hundreds of bamboo huts plus clinic, hospital, 2 food warehouses
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A cooking accident is believed to have ignited the fire at approximately 16:00 local time on 22 March 2013. Hot weather and strong winds allowed the blaze to spread rapidly through the densely packed bamboo hut structures of the Ban Mae Surin camp.
The fire swept through Ban Mae Surin refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, killing 37 Karen refugees from Myanmar — 35 immediately and two in subsequent days — injuring at least 100 others, and consuming hundreds of makeshift dwellings along with the camp's medical clinic, hospital, and two food warehouses before being extinguished roughly two hours after it began.
More than 2,300 people were left without shelter and relocated to tents. The International Rescue Committee, UNHCR, Jesuit Refugee Service, and International Organization for Migration coordinated emergency relief, providing food, shelter, and clothing to the affected population.