Greece: Massive fire breaks out in overcrowded refugee camp, emergency declared

At least 12,000 migrants were rendered homeless after Greece’s largest refugee camp caught fire on September 9. The broke out overnight at the overcrowded Moria refugee camp, located on the island of Lesbos, Greece which houses refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and much other war-prone nations. Terming it as difficult night, the government has declared a state of emergency in the region.

The fires broke out overnight, police and fire officials on the island told The Associated Press, adding the cause of the blazes, as well as the full extent of the damage, remained unclear. Flames gutted majority of the camp and surrounding hillside of olive groves.  Alongside, physical damages, the fire also broke out protests involving migrants, firefighters and refugees.

The camp was placed under lockdown after a man from Somali tested positive for the coronavirus. In addition, a major testing drive was ordered in the camp, and 35 people who tested positive were quarantined in a separate facility that was not affected by the fire, island officials told AP. As of now, authorities have denied the movement to and fro the camp to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Busiest crossing point

In 2015, Lesbos became the continent's busiest crossing point for illegal migration witnessing a massive westward movement of refugees fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and travelling through Turkey. After that wave of migration, Greek authorities set up camps on Lesbos and four other islands, helped with European Union funding, and more recently also set up a network of camps on the mainland.

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All Image credits: Associated Press