Tag Archives: Fire

Fire destroys shelters for internally displaced Muslims in Myanmar

Boys stand among debris after fire destroyed shelters at a camp for internally displaced Rohingya Muslims in the western Rakhine State near Sittwe

YANGON (Reuters) – A fire broke out on Tuesday in a camp for internally displaced Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, destroying shelters where about 2,000 people had lived and injuring about 14 of them, the United Nations said.

Camps in the area largely house members of the marginalized Rohingya Muslim minority, who were displaced by fighting between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012.

The fire at the Baw Du Pha 2 camp near the state capital of Sittwe started in the morning. Authorities were investigating the cause but initial reports indicated it was an accident from a cooking fire, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.

“Based on the current information available, at least 14 people were injured by the fire. There are unconfirmed reports of fatalities but this has not been verified,” it said.

The fire destroyed about 44 “long houses” and damaged up to nine, affecting 440 households, or about 2,00 people, it said.

Authorities in the area were not immediately available for comment.

Myanmar’s Rohingya population is stateless and thousands of them have fled persecution and poverty, often by boat to other parts of Southeast Asia.

Some 125,000 Rohingya remain displaced and face severe travel restrictions while living in camps.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Wildfires Burning in Oklahoma, Kansas

An aerial photo of the "350 Complex" fire that has hit an area of about 55,000 acres (22,250 hectares) located about 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Oklahoma City i

Reuters) – Wildfires in Oklahoma and Kansas this week have burned thousands of acres, scorched numerous structures and prompted hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, officials said on Wednesday.

The largest fire was the “350 Complex” fire, about 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Oklahoma City, that has hit an area of about 55,000 acres (22,250 hectares) and is mostly uncontained, Oklahoma Forestry Services said.

The fire has burned numerous structures. The state has deployed about 115 personnel and several firefighting aircraft to extinguish the blaze, the service said, adding that other areas of the state were also at risk.

“As fire weather conditions deteriorate, with dry and extremely gusty winds, new fires have started in multiple counties across Oklahoma,” it said.

There have been multiple wildfires in Kansas, which borders Oklahoma to the north, with the largest in Geary County, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Topeka.

A fire that burned about 500 acres (200 hectares) in Riley County, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Geary, has been contained, the Kansas Forest Service said.

No major injuries have been reported in either state.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Additional reporting by Heide Brandes; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and James Dalgleish)

Two Boys Save Children From Burning Home

Two young boys in Orange County, Florida are being hailed as heroes after running into a burning mobile home to save the lives of two other children.

Isiah Francis, 10, called 911 when he saw the fire.  He then ran into the home with his friend, 11-year-old Jeremiah Grimes saw his friend rushing into the building and joined him.  The two saved two young children who had been trapped by the flames.

Firefighters then arrived and rescued two other children.

“I was in the place first trying to get those little kids out to save their lives,” Francis said. “I was nervous because there was so much smoke. It was hard for me to see and all that.”

Isiah said that Jeremiah stood at the door and directed him through the heavy smoke until they found the youngest children.

“I took the infant, he took the older one and we ran back to his house,” Grimes said.

“Although we never advise entering a building on fire,” said Fire Chief Otto Drozd III, “we must recognize the courage it took for those kids to risk their own lives to save the lives of others.”

The children rescued by firefighters are in critical but stable condition at Arnold Palmer Hospital.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.