On March 22, 2021, these fears came true when barbed wire fencing trapped thousands of refugees inside while a massive fire spread through Rohingya refugee camps. 41 At least 15 people, including 6 children, were killed in the fire, and over 50,000 people were displaced. 42 Hundreds were injured, some while trying to escape the blaze by climbing over or cutting through barbed wire fencing. 43 Witnesses reported that the fencing blocked fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Hamid, 29, a refugee from Camp 10, said “We saw that firefighters were delayed due to the fencing because they needed to use different routes to reach to the fire.” 44 Human Rights Watch interviewed 17 people, including some refugees who lost family members during the fire, who said that people—in particular, older people, children, and people with disabilities—were unable to quickly escape because of the barbed wire fencing that authorities built around the camps. Khaled, 38, who lost his 5-year-old son in the fire, told Human Rights Watch that the fencing left refugees with only one option to escape through the camp’s main entrance: Everyone was rushing to the main entrance of the camps, which is the only exit route. Other sides are surrounded by fencing. When my son got separated from us, he tried to go back to our shelter searching for us. This is where we found his burned body. We were able to identify him only by his red pants. If there had been no fence, people could have escaped using different routes. 45 41 “Bangladesh: Refugee Camp Fencing Cost Lives in Blaze,” Human Rights Watch news release, March 25, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/25/bangladesh-refugee-camp-fencing-cost-lives-blaze. 42 “Bangladesh Probes Deadly Fire at Rohingya Camp, 400 Missing,” Al Jazeera, March 23, 2021, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/23/bangladesh-probes-deadly-fire-at-rohingya-refugeecamphttps:/www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/23/bangladesh-probes-deadly-fire-at-rohingya-refugee-camp (accessed April 15, 2021); Refugees International, “Immediate Assistance Needed as Fire Devastates Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh,” March 22, 2021, https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports/2021/3/22/immediate-assistance-needed-as-fire-devastatesrohingya-camp-in-bangladesh (accessed April 15, 2021); Ruma Paul and Emma Farge, “‘Devastating’ Fire at Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh Kills 15, Leaves 400 Missing,” Reuters, March 23, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladeshrohingya-fire-idUSKBN2BF0G1 (accessed April 15, 2021). 43 “Bangladesh Probes Deadly Fire at Rohingya Camp, 400 Missing,” Al Jazeera, March 23, 2021, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/23/bangladesh-probes-deadly-fire-at-rohingya-refugee-camp (accessed April 15, 2021); 44 Human Rights Watch interview with Hamid, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, March 23, 2021. 45 Human Rights Watch interview with Khaled, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, March 23, 2021. 21 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2021