Inferno Destroys Over 100 Makeshift Shelters at Monguno IDP Camp

A major fire outbreak has destroyed more than 100 thatched houses at the Water Board Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that the fire broke out at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday and was reported to the Monguno Police Station by the Camp Chairman, Bukar Mbati.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, disclosed that the inferno spread rapidly through the camp, consuming shelters and destroying foodstuffs and various household items belonging to displaced families.

He said operatives of the Borno State Fire Service, in collaboration with the Police and other Security Agencies deployed to the Area, responded promptly and succeeded in bringing the fire under control.

A patrol team led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Monguno later visited the scene to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the damage.

“Thankfully, no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded. Photographs of the affected areas have been taken, while the total value of the property destroyed is yet to be ascertained,” ASP Daso said, adding that investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the fire.

Global Mirror News gathered that the incident adds to a growing pattern of fire outbreaks affecting displacement camps in the North-East.

Only days earlier, a similar blaze razed 76 temporary shelters occupied by internally displaced persons from Borno State in Ngamma village, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

That fire left several families homeless, with one person injured and hospitalised, while livestock, food supplies, and other essential household items were lost.

The repeated incidents have renewed concerns over safety conditions in IDP camps, many of which are built with highly flammable materials.