Child killed as blaze destroys 900+ homes in North Darfur camp

A child has died and another person injured after a major fire tore through a displacement camp in North Darfur, destroying more than 900 homes. The blaze broke out on Saturday at El Omda camp in the town of Tawila, according to a report by the Coordination of Emergency Rooms in Jebel Marra and Tawila.

It began at around 12:30 local time on the second day of Eid El Fitr and spread rapidly through the densely populated camp, causing widespread destruction.

The report said 903 homes were destroyed, affecting between 900 and 1,100 families. That is equivalent to an estimated 4,500 to 6,000 people, based on average household sizes.

A five-year-old child died from severe burns, while another person was injured and is in need of medical care.

Families lost all their belongings in the fire, including food supplies, cooking equipment, furniture and personal items. Many are now left without shelter or basic means of survival.

Initial findings suggest the fire may have started when children were cooking lentils over an open flame. Strong winds are believed to have helped the fire spread quickly.

The camp’s shelters, built from highly flammable materials such as grass, wood and plastic, as well as their close proximity, also contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.

Fires have become increasingly common across parts of Darfur and Kordofan in recent months, causing widespread damage and affecting thousands of people.

As reported by Radio Dabanga last week, a series of fires has caused significant damage in several parts of Darfur, destroying dozens of homes and property in recent days, local emergency groups and residents said.

In North Darfur, the Khor Omer Emergency Room said a fire broke out in the town of Khor Omer on Saturday, burning down 19 houses.

The group said the blaze affected homes belonging to displaced families as well as members of the host community, causing substantial property losses. No casualties were reported.

In South Darfur, another fire broke out in Babanusa camp in Gereida locality, west of the Abuja market and east of Sheikh Ali Ahmed Younis mosque.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the blaze destroyed about 30 homes, causing extensive property damage.

A further fire was reported at the Daraba mining site in South Darfur, also resulting in significant losses to property, according to local sources.

Earlier this month, three children died and five homes were destroyed after a fire broke out in the early hours of March 3 at Abu Dhar camp for displaced people in Umm Dukhun, Central Darfur. Two days earlier, a woman with special needs was severely injured, and between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters destroyed, in a massive fire that swept through Kalma camp for displaced people near the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday morning. Miraculously, no human fatalities have been reported.