Syria Comments on Fire at Refugee Camp in Lebanon

Late Sunday, Syria commented on the burning of a refugee camp in the Minya district, northern Lebanon, yesterday, sending a message to its citizens who were forced to leave the country by the war, according to Sputnik news agency.

"The Syrian Arab Republic expresses deep sorrow for the fire that the Syrian refugee camp has been exposed to in Al-Minya district, which terrified its residents and deprived a number of them of shelter," an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement to SANA.

The source called upon the "competent Lebanese judiciary and the concerned Lebanese agencies to assume their responsibilities in handling this incident and securing protection for the refugees.

The source said that Syria " reiterates the call to its citizens who were forced to leave the country by the unjust war, to return to their homeland," adding that the Syrian government is doing its best to facilitate their return and provide them with the requirements of a decent living in their cities and villages, according to the available capabilities.

It is worth mentioning that, a number of citizens in northern Lebanon set fire to a Syrian refugee camp on Saturday night after a quarrel broke out between a member of their family and “Syrian workers”, according to the Lebanon official News agency.

The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed that a large fire broke out in a refugee camp in the Miniyeh area and that a number of the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, without specifying their number.

“The fire spread to all the camp residences, built of plastic and wood materials,” UNHCR spokesperson Khaled Kabbara told AFP, adding that the camp housed around 75 families.

He added that a number of these families fled the camp “out of the fear caused by the explosion-like sounds household gas canisters blowing up.

On its part, the National News Agency (NNA) revealed that the fire followed a “row” between a member of a Lebanese family and “Syrian workers”.

“Other youths from the Lebanese family then set fire to some of the refugees’ tents”, the NNA added.

In addition, the Lebanese Civil Defence forces rushed to the scene to control the blaze while the army and police were deployed to restore calm.