BRADFORD’S Rohingya community is heartbroken after a horrific fire destroyed the refugee camp which some of them once called home on Sunday.

The blaze destroyed around 2,000 shelters in the Balukhali camp – in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh – leaving around 12,000 people homeless.

No casualties have been reported, although at least 35 mosques and 21 learning centres have been ruined.

Mohammed Amin, founder of Bradford charity the Burma Centre, said Bradford’s Rohingya community – which numbers around 600 to 700 – is devastated.

“The camp is like hell,” said Amin, who came to Bradford as a refugee in 2012, after spending 23 years as one of 12 people living in a 10x10 shack.

READ MORE: Mohammed Amin's journey

“Bradford’s Rohingya community is immensely worried. This isn’t the first fire there. People are scared it might be their camp next.”

There were 222 fire incidents at Rohingya camps between January 2021 and December 2022 – including 60 arsons – according to a Bangladesh defence ministry report last month.

Around 3,500 Rohingya were left homeless after a fire at Nayapara camp, where Amin grew up, in January 2021.

“My family lost everything in that fire,” said Amin, whose parents and siblings still live there, unable to leave.

“My home and my school were destroyed.”

The Rohingya maintain they are indigenous to Myanmar. They are of Muslim faith and have been widely described as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

Bradford is home to the largest Rohingya community in Europe, with many refugees starting a new life here through the UN’s Gateway Protection Programme from 2008 onwards.

Amin, who lives off Leeds Road, is calling on the international community to take action following Sunday’s fire.

“The fact this isn’t the first fire shows that local authorities are failing,” he said.

“The World Food Programme recently cut food vouchers for refugees due to a lack of funding. It’s winter, and people are suffering.

“Refugees are taking dangerous routes to safety, via sea. Why are they choosing ocean over land? That’s how bad the camps are.

“I’d like the UK government to consider welcoming more Rohingya refugees and reuniting us with our family, like my parents and siblings.

“I’m happy in the UK, but I’m lonely. When I remember that my family are still in the camps, I feel sick.

“Bangladesh and the international community must find a durable solution and allow the Rohingya freedom of movement.

“It’s unacceptable that things like this are happening in the modern world, in the 21st century.”