North Darfur: Thousands left homeless as fire consumes Kalma camp neighbourhoods
Kalma camp fire report
A massive fire swept through Kalma camp for displaced people near the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday morning, severely injuring a woman with special needs who could not flee in time and was taken to Nyala hospital in critical condition.
“A woman with special needs was severely injured, and between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters destroyed, in a massive fire that swept through Kalma camp for displaced people near the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday morning”
The article reports that between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters were destroyed and that, miraculously, no human fatalities have been reported.
Sheikh Ishaq Abdullah told Radio Dabanga the fire broke out in centres A and B and initially destroyed 20 houses in the Qatar Charity School shelter in centre B.
He also said the blaze destroyed a number of vehicles, killed livestock, and called on charitable organisations to intervene urgently.
Sheikh Moussa Ali Abdelrahman, a leader in the camp, likewise called on humanitarian organisations to intervene, pointing to the extent of the losses.
Kalma camp fire
Adam Rejal, spokesman for the General Coordinator for IDP and Refugee Camps, confirmed to Radio Dabanga that the fire broke out in Centre 1 of Kalma camp at 10:00.
Rejal said the fire raged until 13:00.
In Rejal’s provisional estimation the fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and displaced thousands of families who were already living in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions.
Rejal said the fire started in one house and spread very quickly because narrow roads and the large number of buildings inside the camp impeded response.
This resulted in severe damage to houses, stored crops and personal property and the destruction of substantial quantities of food crops.
Kalma camp humanitarian crisis
The article describes the humanitarian situation for those affected as catastrophic, with thousands of families left without shelter or food.
“A woman with special needs was severely injured, and between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters destroyed, in a massive fire that swept through Kalma camp for displaced people near the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday morning”
Kalma camp is one of the largest camps for internally displaced people in Darfur.
Kalma camp has hosted more than 300,000 people since the outbreak of the war in 2003.
The wave of displacement witnessed in 2023 has raised the number to more than half a million.
The General Coordinator called on the international community, humanitarian organizations and charities to intervene immediately by providing urgent shelter, food, water and health care.
The General Coordinator also called for support to reconstruct housing and infrastructure inside the camp and to strengthen prevention and rapid response mechanisms for such disasters.
Conflicting damage estimates
Estimates of the scale of destruction in the article are inconsistent.
The report first states between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters were destroyed.
Adam Rejal provisionally estimated more than 1,000 homes were destroyed.
The article presents these figures as provisional and does not resolve the discrepancy.
Key Takeaways
- A fire destroyed between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters in Kalma camp
- Thousands of camp residents were left homeless by the blaze
- One woman with special needs was severely injured; no human fatalities were reported
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