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Dozens of tents at a camp sheltering were destroyed in a fire on Wednesday.

The Lebanese Civil Defence said that 65 tents were burned at area of Lebanon, adding that civil defence workers spent hours putting out the fire. The Lebanese newspaper L’Orient Le Jour gave a higher figure of 93 tents.

It said that several refugees had suffered minor injuries as a result. The civil defence workers were able to completely put out the fire.

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees live in the Arsal camp in very poor conditions and the Lebanese government which would protect them against the elements.

Conditions at the camp become especially harsh with the onset of winter. Lebanon’s severe economic crisis has , with many Syrian refugees trying to leave the country.

Over 80 tents have been burnt down in a fire in a Syrian refugee camp in Arsal, Lebanon.

80 homes.

— Razan Saffour (@RazanSpeaks)

Last month scores of Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese refugees were when their boat, which had departed from Lebanon, capsized.

There has been increasing racism against Syrian refugees in recent months, with many politicians calling for forced repatriation, despite human rights organisations warning that Syrian refugees could face arrest, torture, and execution if they try to return home.

On Wednesday Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has previously threatened to deport Syrians and refused calls to integrate them into Lebanese society, called on the EU to assist Lebanon in repatriating Syrian refugees.

He was speaking after a meeting with the EU’s Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.