Thailand Refugee Camp Fire

Date: March 22, 2013 • Location: Rome, Italy

At least 37 people were killed after a fire in Thailand destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees.

On 22 March 2013, a fire at the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, killed 37 Karen refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, as well as destroying hundreds of dwellings. Thought to have started following a "cooking accident", the fire began at around 16:00 local time, and extinguished around two hours later. The fire had been spread by hot weather combined with strong winds.