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Syrian Girl Killed in New Refugee Camp Blaze in Lebanon | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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The scene of the blaze at the Bar Elias Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon on July 4, 2017. (NNA)


A Syrian girl was killed in a fire that broke out a refugee encampment in the eastern Lebanese region of the Bekaa Valley, announced a medical source on Tuesday. This is the second fire that erupts at a camp for the displaced since Sunday.

Tuesday’s fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.

It broke out at around 1:00 am on the Bar Elias region, said the Lebanese Red Cross in a statement on Tuesday. Immediately after, it dispatched six ambulances to the scene to assess the needs of the camp, which is comprised of 100 tents.

Around 20 of the tents were destroyed, it said.

It announced that one girl was killed and 14 people were wounded in the incident. Some were treated on the scene, while seven critical cases were transported to hospitals by the Lebanese Red Cross.

On Sunday, a fire destroyed a Syrian refugee camp near Qab Elias, some 7 km (5 miles) away from Bar Elias, also killing one person. Initial reports indicated that fire was caused by a cooking stove. The camp was home to around 100 families.

Save the Children Lebanon, a non-governmental organization that assists refugees, said it was working to provide emergency support to the families and children affected by the latest blaze.

“Save the Children calls for better shelter conditions that protect refugees from fire risks and ensure the safety of children wherever they live,” Country Director Allison Zelkowitz said in an emailed statement.

Lebanon is hosting at least 1 million registered Syrian refugees, though the government says that in total there are about 1.5 million in the country. Many of them living in tented settlements around the country.