One dead, 17 injured as fire razes IDP camp in Borno

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Friday, said one person was killed in a fire incident at the Kalari Muna El Badawy internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Borno state.

Seventeen other persons were also said to have sustained injuries in the incident.

Abdulkadir Ibrahim, principal information officer of NEMA in the north-east, confirmed the development in an interview with NAN.

Ibrahim said about 100 shelters were destroyed, while dozens of households in the camps were displaced as a result of the incident.

He said the fire started around 1pm at one of the camp tents, where an IDP was cooking.

Ibrahim, however, added that the inferno was later brought under control by firefighters.

Officials of NEMA, the Borno emergency management agency, Nigerian Red Cross and other stakeholders were said to be on the ground to administer first aid to the injured victims.

Ibrahim added that a combined team from NEMA and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) were also on the ground to assess the extent of the damage.

According to NAN, the camp consists of more than 10,000 households and 50,000 individuals.