1,000+ homes destroyed in East Darfur camp inferno

A massive fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the displaced camps district of Ed Daein on East Darfur. No human casualties were reported, however the four camps of Dabanga, Areida, Garnaya, and Um Sauna suffered extensive damage.

Homes burn in Darfur (File photo)

A massive fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the displaced camps district of Ed Daein on East Darfur. No human casualties were reported, however the four camps of Dabanga, Areida, Garnaya, and Um Sauna suffered extensive damage.

The fire completely destroyed 15 shops and storage facilities at Dabanga Market. One of the camp sheikhs told Dabanga Radio that at least 1,000 families have been affected and that the preliminary inventory estimated the damage at about SDG 40 billion (*$2 million).

The Commissioner of Ed Daein, Ali El Tahir, said “the fire has been the largest of its kind in the recent period as it has destroyed the whole contents of about 1,000 houses.

West Darfur

In a separate incident, fire broke out at Konge village of Kereinik locality in West Darfur and destroyed more than 20 houses.

North Darfur

Another fire that broke out at camp El Salam in Nyala destroyed the houses of dozens of displaced people and caused great property losses.

Many of the homes and shelters in Darfur camps are built of wood and sticks, and most cooking perfiormed on open fires so there is a significant hazard.

* Based on the official US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS)