Fire breaks out at refugee centre on Greek island of Lesbos

A fire at a refugee centre on the Greek island of Lesbos has caused considerable damage to a warehouse but no injuries, Greece’s fire service said.

It was the second fire at an installation built for migrants, after unknown perpetrators burned down a reception centre last Monday. The warehouse, which contained furniture and electrical appliances, was completely destroyed, a fire service spokesman said.

The blaze on Sunday came during a tense standoff between between Turkey and the EU over who is responsible for the millions of migrants and refugees on Turkish territory and the thousands who have massed at the Greek border.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ announced earlier this month that Ankara would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing into EU countries. Greece has deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter.

There have since been violent confrontations at the border. Greek security forces have fired teargas to deter migrants and Turkish police have fired teargas back at their Greek



counterparts.

Young migrants threw rstones at Greek police and tried to break down a border fence in a desperate attempt enter Greece on Saturday. At least two people were injured in the skirmishes.

Erdoğan will travel to Brussels on Monday to talk to senior EU officials about a 2016 agreement on containing the refugee flows to Europe which has now collapsed. The two sides have accused each other of failing to respect their commitments.

The deal called for Turkey to halt the flow of Europe-bound migrants and refugees in exchange for up to €6bn (£5.2bn) in aid for Syrian refugees on its territory, fast-track EU membership and visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens.

Erdoğan has demanded Europe shoulder more of the burden of caring for refugees, and has accused the EU of failing to disburse the money. He said Turkey, which already hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, would no longer be Europe’s gatekeeper.

The decision has irked EU countries, which are still dealing with the political fallout from a wave of mass migration five years ago. EU foreign ministers have criticised Ankara, saying it is using the migrants’ desperation for political purposes.

Thousands of migrants have slept in makeshift camps near the border since the Turkish government said they were free to go, waiting for an opportunity to enter Greece.