A fire has broken out at a Kent army facility holding hundreds of asylum-seekers, a migrant charity has said.
The blaze erupted at the Napier Barracks, which is being partially emptied due to a mass coronavirus outbreak.
Police and fire crews are at the scene, where footages shows smoke billowing and flames erupting from a building.
At least 120 people had recently tested positive for Covid-19 at the Folkestone facility.
The military site located near the border at Dover has been used to house about 400 asylum-seekers since September last year, despite concerns over conditions.
Pictures shared by Care4Calais show flames and smoke issuing from buildings on the Ministry of Defence-owned site.
Emergency crews say no one was injured in the fire.
Home Secretary Priti Patel called the scenes 'shocking' as she accused asylum-seekers of damaging the facility.
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Patel tweeted a statement, saying: "The damage and destruction at Napier barracks is not only appalling but deeply offensive to the taxpayers of this country who are providing this accommodation while asylum claims are being processed.
"This type of action will not be tolerated and the Home Office will support the police to take robust action against those vandalising property, threatening staff and putting lives at risk.
"This site has previously accommodated our brave soldiers and army personnel - it is an insult to say that it is not good enough for these individuals."
However asylum-seekers' rights groups chided the Home Secretary over her statement.
Fears for the barracks' inhabitants' welfare escalated in recent days after 120 people were believed to have tested positive for Covid-19.
Charities had called for the site to be closed down and buckets of fake blood were thrown over the gates in protest at conditions yesterday, reports Kent Live.
Charity Freedom from Torture said it had sent an open letter to Patel just hours before the fire outbreak - urging her to close the barracks and transfer its inhabitants to Covid-secure accommodation.
Kolbassia Haoussou, Lead Survivor Advocate at the charity, said:
“By mocking the vulnerability of asylum seekers, the Home Secretary would rather shirk responsibility and play politics with people’s lives.
"Many of the people trapped here suffer from severe mental health issues and low immune systems linked to the abuse they have fled. The camps are unsafe, unsanitary and unfit to house vulnerable people."
A Kent Police spokesperson said the force was called to a report of a disturbance at the barracks around 2pm Friday.
The force said: "At this stage there have been no reported injuries and enquiries remain ongoing to determine the cause of the fire and establish whether any offences have been committed."
Migrant charity Care 4 Calais tweeted today: "A fire has broken out & fire engines have been called to Napier Barracks in Folkestone after an upsetting afternoon for residents.
"They received notice via impersonal letters from accommodation provider Clearsprings of a split to new ‘bubbles’ to self isolate for 10 more days."
The charity issued a statement amid the fire, adding: "This week we talked to many residents who told us that the lack of communication and confusion have contributed greatly to the fear and tension inside.
"Living in constant fear of Covid is bad enough. A letter like this is another example of poor communication and lack of care from management, who could have had the decency to talk to people about so serious a matter."
A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokeperson said crews had been called to assist Kent Police at the barracks.
People living and working nearby had been advised to close their windows and doors as a precaution against the smoke.
On Tuesday Home Secretary Priti Patel insisted the accommodation was of a "very strong" standard and "in line with PHE guidance".
The Home Office, which took over the site last year, insists the accommodation in Kent is "safe, suitable, (and) Covid-compliant".
At the weekend the department confirmed a number of asylum seekers were being moved from Napier Barracks "temporarily" into self-isolation facilities.
This was "in order to allow others at the facility to self-isolate more easily", a spokesman said.
The department added on Tuesday evening: "Asylum seekers are being kept fully informed throughout the process, including on where they are being moved to."
A petition to shut down Napier Barracks, along with a similar facility at a barracks in Wales, has gathered thousands of signatures.
Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe Damian Collins quizzed Patel about the facility in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
He asked whether the Home Office was working to reduce the number of asylum claimants at Napier, and it had halted the flow of new arrivals until the Covid outbreak is under control.
The Home Secretary replied saying asylum-seekers should be making a claim in the first safe country "and not risking their lives by travelling through a small boat or illegally being trafficked by people traffickers."
Patel added that the new toughened border control rules brought in to curb the spread of the virus would also apply to asylum-seekers.
Boris Johnson earlier this week announced a hotel quarantine system for arrivals into the UK from a 'red list' of countries.
Patel also announced a crackdown on travel, ordering anyone leaving the UK to declare a ‘valid reason’.
However it remained unclear on Friday when either policy would come into force.
The list currently comprises 30 countries, which the government says it is keeping under review.
