Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp on fire as Paris rocked by deadly attacks

A huge fire has broken out at the vast ‘Jungle’ refugee camp near the French port of Calais, just hours after a string of bloody attacks struck Paris, leaving over 100 dead. The Calais deputy mayor told RT that the authorities are trying to tackle the blaze.

“There’s about 10,000 square meters on fire. We don’t know the origin of the fire yet...” Phillipe Mignonet said. “The fire brigades are fighting to reduce the fire, but because of the wind it is very difficult.”

Refugees have reportedly been trying to flee the scene. According to the deputy mayor, the number of those evacuated from the camp roughy matched the number of inhabitants who were at the site when the blaze started.

It is unclear if there were any casualties following the fire.

“We don't know yet, because the rescue services are unable to get into the places, because of the intensity of the fire. And because of the wind and bottles of gas it is still quite dangerous,” Mignonet said, as he referred to any possible victims.

There had been immediate speculation that the camp was set on fire in retaliation for the Paris attacks, which left over a hundred dead. However, Mignonet refuted these allegations.

“That is two separate things, and the fire there has nothing to do with the attacks in Paris tonight,” he told RT.

Over the past week, the infamous Jungle refugee camp has been engulfed in clashes between law enforcement officers and migrants. The camp has become a temporary home for thousands of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa as they flock to Calais. For the majority it is just a pit stop as they hope to make it to the UK via the Channel Tunnel.