Arson Hits Australian Detainee Camp

A fire swept through a detention center for asylum seekers early today in southern Australia in what officials said was the second act of arson in as many days.

Bedding, furniture and shower curtains were set on fire at the Baxter detention center in South Australia state, said fire service spokesman Bill Dwyer.

The blaze destroyed 17 rooms in the men’s compound, and nine detainees and two staff members were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, said Pete Pederson, a spokesman for the Department of Immigration.

Baxter is the newest of seven detention centers in mainland Australia where about 1,200 illegal immigrants, most of them from the Middle East and South Asia, are being held while their applications for asylum are considered.

The last three years have seen riots, arson and self-mutilation by detainees, drawing widespread criticism of Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.

Some of the centers are collections of temporary buildings surrounded by razor wire in remote camps.

Some detainees who have been refused refugee visas but cannot be returned to their home countries have languished in the camps for more than three years.

Baxter opened earlier this year as Australia’s first detention center built specifically for asylum seekers. It has a capacity of 1,200 but currently holds 215 detainees, including men, women and children.