New York, Jan. 16 -- UN agencies have stepped up efforts to help thousands of Rohingya refugees left without shelter after a devastating fire tore through a crowded refugee camp in south-eastern Bangladesh on Thursday.

The fire erupted shortly after midnight on Thursday (local time) in the Nayapara refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, gutting about 550 shelters and 150 shops. A community centre is also said to have been destroyed.

About 3,500 Rohingya refugees, including children, lost their homes and belongings in the blaze, in the middle of winter and the coronavirus pandemic, UN agencies said.

No lives were lost, and the fire was brought under control in a few hours by firefighters, volunteers and refugees.

The Nayapara camp hosts about 22...