The blaze destroyed over 40 makeshift shelters on the night from Thursday to Friday (September 10-11), people staying in the camp had to leave the area.

The incident happened in the Tarajal warehouse district, where hundreds of migrants had been sleeping. Videos on social media, including from local news outlet El Faro de Ceuta, showed people fleeing the fire in the camp and fire fighters directing water hoses at burning shacks and tents. Many shacks in the area had been built from wooden storage pallets covered in tarps, blankets and the like, making the makeshift housing dangerously flammable.

No deaths, no injuries, officials say

"There were no casualties because the area and the neighboring warehouses were quickly evacuated," a police source told news agency AFP. Officials also told AFP that "according to the initial findings, the fire broke out accidentally, due to a candle, a cigarette, or a small campfire." Nearby buildings were reportedly not affected.

The Ceuta Fire Department said it had been a "terrible night."

In late August, other makeshift homes inhabited by migrants in Ceuta had already been destroyed by fires. In that incident, local protesters had set fire to shacks and tents on Trampolin beach, and attacked a military vehicle.

Ceuta: Small city, hosting many migrants

Ceuta is a Spanish city located on the north African coast, bordering on Morocco, that usually has a population of roughly 80,000 people. There are currently between 5000 and 15,000 recently arrived migrants staying in the city, according to recent estimates from city leader Juan Jesús Vivas. Many of them have been sleeping rough in the city for the past month and a half.

In late July, more than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco. Most returned within days, but thousands – including many minors and non-Moroccan migrants – remained.

With AFP, LUSA