Slovakia asylum seeker reception centre burns down
Slovakia asylum seeker reception centre burns down
In Slovakia, a refugee reception centre yesterday burned to the ground. All 40 asylum seekers accommodated in the centre in Brezova pod Bradlom, 100 km north of Bratislava, were evacuated in time and there were no injuries.
Some of those housed in the centre managed to take a few personal belongings, but most had to leave with only the clothes on their backs. The asylum seekers were taken to Gabcikovo, another accommodation centre east of Bratislava.
The fire reportedly broke out around 10:30 a.m. and was detected quickly. Flames spread rapidly in the wooden building, however, and the structure burned to the ground. Refugee children playing with a lighter apparently started the blaze.
UNHCR was notified by the authorities and our staff immediately visited the site to organise help.
![Poland. Refugees from Ukraine at the Kapelanka hostel](/sites/default/files/RF1261127_0.jpg "Tetiana (50) with her daughter Masha (12) from Ukraine. They live in Interhouse hotel which is a shelter for refugees.Tetiana fled her home in Dnipro, Ukraine in March 2022 with her daughter Masha. They lived next to a military unit that was under attack all the time. Tetiana was terrified when Masha shouted, "Mom, they're shooting." Masha has Downs syndrome and epilepsy. She had a panic attack.In Poland, they first lived near the border somewhere in a school turned into a shelter. Now they live in a hotel. Tetiana receives 500 zloty a month from the Polish state for Masha and a child's pension from Ukraine, which is why she is able to meet her basic needs on her own. "I miss home. I have a vegetable garden there. I dream of going back there one day," she says. But she adds that he is learning Polish just in case. In Ukraine, Tetiana was a dance instructor, and she would like to continue her job in Poland.Tetiana is now worrying about her parents who are on her way from Donetsk to Krakow.")
