Fire kills 2 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

By Wassim Saif Al-Din

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Two Syrian refugees died Tuesday when a fire caught refugee tents in the town of Arsal in eastern Lebanon, according to witnesses.

There are around 80,000 Syrian refugees living in camps in Arsal, in addition to about 40,000 others in camps located on the outskirts of the town.

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out at a number of refugee tents in al-Shafaq neighborhood in the town.

“A mother and her child were killed in the fire,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

He added that several people were injured and five tents burnt in the blaze.

Lebanon's civil defense authority, which carries out firefighting operations, managed to put out the fire.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, who have fled civil war in their country.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report