March 2021 Rohingya refugee-camp fire
| Date | 22 March 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Balukhali refugee camp, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh |
| Coordinates | 21°11′N 92°10′E / 21.19°N 92.16°E |
| Deaths | 15 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 560 |
| Missing | 400 |
On 22 March 2021, a fire that had started during the late afternoon in the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, destroyed a large portion of the camp, killed over a dozen people, and left nearly a thousand injured or missing. Thought to have begun when gas cylinders used for cooking exploded, 100 firemen fought the blaze, which burned for around eight hours until midnight.
The fire displaced roughly 50,000 Rohingya refugees of the genocide in Myanmar and destroyed many buildings, including schools and food storage centres. First responders to the crisis were refugees from the camp itself. By the next day, aid agencies had joined the rescue effort, pledging food, cash, and equipment. Some observers reported that rescue efforts were hindered by barbed-wire fencing around the camp, suggesting that it may have slowed down escapees and possibly contributed to the casualties.