One dead after fire destroys Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon

At least one person died after a fire ripped through a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday.

Two people are in a critical condition, the UN's refugee agency said.

Flames and clouds of black smoke rose from the site near the town of Qab Elias, east of Beirut, and at least one explosion was seen.

The blaze has virtually razed the camp as a fire truck doused down the ground, shown in footage from Reuters news agency.

"We've started the assessment as to how many tents have been damaged," said UNHCR spokeswoman Dana Sleiman.

"As soon as the assessment is done, we will provide the families with all the help they need," she said. "Apparently it started with a cooking stove. We are waiting to confirm that."

The camp was home to 102 families, she added. A Syrian refugee said many of the people living at the camp had come to Lebanon from the Raqqa area of Syria.

Lebanon is hosting at least 1 million registered Syrian refugees, many of them living in tented settlements scattered around the country.

The government says that in total there are about 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon.