BEIRUT – More than 300 Syrian refugees were forced to flee an informal camp in northern Lebanon when a fire raged, burning tents on the ground, UN and Lebanese officials said on Sunday.
The fire broke out on Saturday evening. It raged for four hours as firefighters tried to put it out, Lebanese civil defense said.
The fire arose after a fight between a Lebanese family and Syrians living in the camp in the al-Miniyeh region in the north of the country, according to Lebanese media.
The Lebanese army said on Sunday that it had carried out raids and arrested two Lebanese and six Syrians as part of the investigation. The statement mentioned that the Lebanese men fired in the air in and set the tents on fire. The army also confiscated weapons during the raids and said it planned to make further arrests.
Khaled Kabbara, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency in northern Lebanon, said about 375 people lived in the informal settlement which was located on leased land. He said the entire camp had been burnt to the ground.
Kabbara said four people had been hospitalized with minor injuries caused by the fire. He added that some camp residents returned on Sunday to see if they could get anything back.
Most of the refugees sought refuge in other informal camps nearby, and some members of the local community also offered shelter, Kabbara said.
He stressed that disputes between residents and Syrian refugees “often have a catastrophic impact on the community as a whole”.
Tensions are common in Lebanon between citizens and Syrian refugees who have fled the war in their country.
Lebanon hosts more than a million refugees, nearly a quarter of the country’s population, or 5 million inhabitants, eroding the country’s already crumbling infrastructure.
Tensions between Lebanese and Syrians also date back to when Syria dominated its little neighbor for nearly three decades with thousands of soldiers stationed in Lebanon. They withdrew in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which sparked massive anti-Syrian protests.
– Par Sarah El Deeb, The Associated Press
–
