Fire leaves thousands homeless in Bossaso

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

HARGEYSA- - More than 5,000 internally displaced persons and returnees were left homeless when a fire gutted their camp in Somalia's northeastern port town of Bossaso late on Tuesday.

Witnesses said the fire broke out at around 7.30 p.m. at the Boqolka Buush camp and spread quickly because of strong winds.

"There were more than 5,300 people living in the camp, and virtually all the huts were destroyed by the fire. Firefighters, the security forces and residents were still trying to put out the fire three hours after its started," said Muuse Gelle, the governor of Bari region. He said at least 10 people were taken to hospital and treated for superficial burns. Dozens of people, mostly children, were missing.

"All camp residents scampered for safety when the fire started. They left their belongings and food rations behind, all of which were destroyed. Only a few have been accommodated by locals, but many others had no place to sleep," said local journalist Mohammed Deq.

No deaths have been reported as a result of the inferno. Bossaso district leaders and representatives from aid agencies including the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) were meeting in a bid to help those displaced by the blaze, said Moulid Haji Abdi of the Somali Broadcasting Corporation.

Boqolka Buush is the largest camp for internally displaced persons in Puntland, a self-declared autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. It was home to thousands of people who fled their homes during the civil strife that engulfed Somalia following the overthrow in 1991 of dictator Muhammad Siyad Barre. Former refugees who had returned to Somalia from neighbouring countries also lived at the camp.

A similar fire in June 2005 destroyed Buulo Eelaay camp in Bossaso, leaving more than 2,000 people homeless. In November 2005, at least three children were burnt to death when fire swept through another camp for the displaced on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.