An enormous fire with the flames reaching more than 100 feet (30m) into the air, has spread through a Rohingya camp in Bangladesh.
The UN’s refugee agency says 45,000 people have been displaced, at least 15 have died and 400 remain unaccounted for.
As the fire engulfed thousands of shelters, Saiful Arakani, a 25-year-old refugee who is a professional photographer and lead volunteer, ran straight into the toxic smoke to help find survivors.
According to him, as he entered into the fire to save lives, he saw People turning to ashes right in front of his eyes.
Along with several other volunteers, Saiful used his jacket and blankets to help save those being badly burned by the fire. Saiful, a professional photographer, was only carrying his phone but he managed to grab snapshots of the chaos and destruction.
“I started taking pictures but I couldn’t stop crying,” he said.
Of all of the photographs he took, the most shocking captured the badly burned body of a toddler. The boy’s remains lay next to a small toy, tucked closely into his tummy.
By the time he arrived, a crowd had gathered. Many were trying desperately to guess in which direction the fire would move through the camp.
“I saw people fleeing their homes screaming, ‘Save my mother, save my sister.’ It was complete chaos. No-one knew what to do,” said Saiful.
With the emergency services still some distance away, together with a small group of residents, the photographer headed into the toxic smoke and began looking for survivors.
What he witnessed next he would never forget, Saiful said.
“I saw people like me turning to ashes. I wanted to help them. I wanted to save them, even if I died doing so. I carried babies, old women and men, all in my arms and over my shoulders. Many of them were seriously injured.”
During the chaos, he heard one man screaming for help.
“His name was Saleem. He must have been around 40 years old. He was crying, “Please save my daughter and my wife. I am alive but please save my daughter.” Clambering through the wreckage, the volunteers managed to pull the man’s family members free, saving both their lives.
After living in the camps for more than four years, Saiful says he knows all too well what it’s like to feel abandoned.
According to the UN’s refugee agency, roughly 560 people have been injured and approximately 45,000 people have been displaced. With around 10,000 shelters destroyed, ActionAid Bangladesh’s country director Farah Kabir told the BBC they had already begun setting up temporary shelters for those who have lost their homes.
However, the cause of the fire has yet to be known.
