Fire destroys hundreds of shelters at Rohingya refugee camp

Smoke rises following a fire at a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh (Shafiqur Rahman/AP)

A devastating fire has raced through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh, destroying hundreds of shelters and leaving thousands homeless.

The fire at the Balukhali camp in the Cox’s Bazar district broke out in the late afternoon and spread quickly through at least four blocks, said Mohammad Shamsud Douza, from the government’s Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission.