The fire broke out Friday in the Napier Barracks, a decommissioned military complex that now houses asylum seekers and is at the center of a recent feud between Home Secretary Priti Patel and refugee charities who have called for her to close the facility.
Charities have claimed that the facility’s estimated 400 asylum seekers have lived in overcrowded dormitories in poor conditions, and that a recent Covid-19 outbreak has infected at least 120 people, PA Media reported.
Kent police said on Saturday that an investigation into the incident was underway and that “ no serious injuries had been reported as a result of the incident, but a significant amount of damage was done to part of the site as a result of a fire – which presumably started intentionally. “
On Friday, the Home Secretary took to Twitter to condemn the “shocking scenes” from the Napier barracks, where the Interior Ministry said windows had been smashed and a building set on fire.
“The damage and destruction at Napier Barracks is not only appalling but also deeply insulting to the taxpayers of this country who provide shelter while asylum applications are being processed,” Patel tweeted.
“This site has previously housed our brave soldiers and military personnel – it is an insult to say it is not good enough for these individuals,” she added.
Patel’s comments sparked some criticism, with the founder of a refugee charity saying that the Home Secretary “should be ashamed” for pointing the finger at asylum seekers so quickly.
“It is shocking and disturbing that a British Home Secretary is accusing and denouncing ordinary people when the facts of this incident are not even known,” Clare Mosley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, said in a statement to CNN.
“This isn’t just a careless, spontaneous emotional response. It’s a misleading, opportunistic smokescreen designed to divert attention from the many warnings she’s had about what would clearly happen in the Napier barracks,” he added. Mosley admits.
Care4Calais said in a Facebook post on Friday that the Napier residents they spoke to “are telling us they are just terrified”.
“Their future remains uncertain and today’s events are creating more suffering and fear,” he added.