A fire broke out at a refugee center on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece’s firefighting service said Sunday, causing considerable damage to a warehouse but no injuries.
It was the second fire at an installation built for migrants, after a reception center was burned down by unknown perpetrators last Monday.
The warehouse, which contained furniture and electrical appliances, was completely destroyed, a firefighting service spokesman stated.
The blaze at the refugee center came amid a tense standoff between between Turkey and the European Union over who is responsible for the millions of migrants and refugees on Turkish territory and the thousands who have massed at the Greek border.
Thousands of migrants headed for Turkey’s land border with EU member Greece after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government announced earlier this month that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to EU countries. Greece has deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter the country.
The Greek border area has since seen violent confrontations between the migrants and Greek security forces, with officers in Greece firing tear gas to block the migrants and Turkish police firing tear gas back at their Greek counterparts.
On Saturday, youths threw rocks at Greek police and tried to break down a border fence in a desperate attempt enter Greece. At least two migrants were injured in the skirmishes.
