Before the fire, many houses in our block were locked from the outside, which indicates that someone deliberately set the camp on fire.

— Omar Farooq A community leader of camp's G-2 block

A five-year-old child died in a fire that broke out at the Mochhoni Rohingya camp in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar early yesterday.

The deceased, Ayesha Siddiqua, was sleeping inside when their house was engulfed in the fire that occurred at G-2 block of the newly registered camp in Nayapara.

"As soon as the fire broke out, I tried to escape with everyone, but I couldn't find my daughter. Later, I found out that she had died in her sleep in the fire. The fire was not accidental; it was intentionally staged. We demand a proper investigation," said Mohammad Ibrahim, the child's father.

At least 500 people became homeless as the fire ravaged around 100 houses.

"The fire broke out suddenly in one house, and quickly spread to nearby houses and structures. Rohingyas and APBn members worked together and brought the fire under control later," said Mohammad Kausar Sikder, commanding officer of 16th Armed Police Battalion and also an additional deputy inspector general.

The Rohingyas at the camp alleged that the fire was preplanned.

Omar Farooq, a community leader of camp's G-2 block, said, "Before the fire, many houses in our block were locked from the outside, which indicates that someone deliberately set the camp on fire."

Shaheed Nur, a Rohingya resident, said, "We captured one criminal involved in abduction in the camp and handed him over to the authorities. Three days ago, his gang threatened to set fire to the camp, and they did it."

Asked in this regard, the APBn official said they will look into the issue.

Contacted, Abdul Hannan, in-charge of Nayapara Camp in Teknaf, said the affected people are being provided with assistances including blankets, dry food, and other supplies, while donor agencies have started rebuilding the houses.

"The police are investigating the cause of the fire," he added.