At 1:00 am on 7 January 2024, a massive and devastating fire broke out in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Flames blazed for over three hours in Camp 5, a UNHCR-managed camp, until Rohingya refugee safety unit volunteers (SUVs) trained on firefighting, local fire fighters and local authorities managed to contain the fire. 26 three-wheeler mobile firefighting units (MFFUs), provided by UNHCR, were deployed from different camps to the hilly, difficult-to-reach area. IOM was on standby with 18 additional MFFUs. The fire response was challenged by strong winds, scarcity of water in the dry season (the fire hydrants were soon depleted and many adjacent ponds were dry), access issues due to the lack of a road network in the hills, and resistance from households in affected blocks to break their shelters to create fire breaks. The fire spread through blocks A, B, C and D in Camp 5, and was stopped by fire breaks or open corridors between the camps before it could spread into Camps 6 and 8W. No cas