Thousands of migrants flee huge fire at Lesbos camp

A police officer said there was “no doubt” that the fire had been set on objective by those inside adding the situation is hard because of the wind which was fanning the flames.

Some are reporting that it was caused by riots in the camps but police have not confirmed this.

Thousands of people fled from a fire at a migrant camp on Lesbos on Monday night, a police official on the Greek island said, noting that there had been noticeable tension among residents earlier in the evening, before the blaze started.

Despite a slowdown in arrivals from Turkey compared to a year ago, more than 13,500 migrants and refugees are now living on eastern Aegean islands, almost double a capacity of 7,450.

(AP Photo/Michael Schwarz). Migrants hold their belonging as a large fire burns inside the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, late Monday, Sept. 19.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants had been forced to leave the camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos after the fire broke out on Monday.

Aid agencies have not released details about residents’ nationalities, but Afghans and Pakistanis are believed to be the biggest groups, with Syrians making up the largest number of new arrivals.

The Monday incident came as world leaders from the 193 member states took part in the first-ever summit in NY on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

A still from video showing the fire at the Moira refugee camp on the island of Lesbos in Greece.

Of those detained, nine were arrested and are being brought before prosecutors, Greek police said in a text message.

He added that around 95 unaccompanied minors housed at the Moria camp were evacuated to the Pikpa reception site located nearby. There were no reports of any migrants being injured. Many were later given shelter at volunteer-run camps.

“We have been saying for a very long time that overcrowding on the islands must be eased”, regional governor Christiana Kalogirou told private Skai television.

“On the islands of the northeast Aegean, official facilities have a capacity of 5,450 places, but more than 10,500 people are there”. “There is a great need for decongestion of the islands.in the future things could become much more hard”, she said.

After making perilous boat journeys from Turkey, many migrants land in Lesbos and other Aegean islands where they are held while their asylum application is processed.