More than 300 Syrian refugees were forced to flee an informal camp in northern Lebanon as a blaze raged through and burnt tents to the ground, UN and Lebanese officials said Sunday.

The fire late Saturday raged for four hours as firefighters tried to put it out, the Lebanese civil defense said.

The fire ensued following a fight between a Lebanese family in al-Miniyeh in the country’s north and Syrians living in the camp, Lebanese media reported.

Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, calling on Lebanese authorities to hold those people responsible for the attack accountable.

The Syrian ministry also reiterated a call for the refugees to return home, stressing that Syrian authorities have been exerting efforts to achieve secure return for the Syrian refugees.

In a televised interview, North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra, strongly condemned the fire, noting that the camp is under periodic monitoring by the Lebanese army and UN organizations.

Source: Agencies