The IDP camps in Northern Syria witnessed several tragic accidents during the month of December. On 25 December, 2016 a tent containing a family of 6 members was burned within Bab Al Salameh Border Camp due to the misuse of a coal oil heater, resulting in dying two girls under 5 years old and transforming the rest of the family to a hospital inside Turkish lands whose situation is critical. On 22 December two newly born infants died in Al Anfal camp within Atma cluster within Dana sub-district in Idleb because of bitter cold and the lack of heating during the last snow storm. As well as, an eight years old child died as a result of suffocation due to the consumption of oxygen within the tent where the family used coal oil heater all the night.

The need for heaters is a top priority within Northern Syria camps where severe need for heaters and heating fuel was reported in all assessed clusters. Twenty-two IMU enumerators participated in the winter needs survey of more than 30,000 families between the 10th and the 30th of November 2016 in 169 camps within 8 clusters in the North of Syria in order to enable humanitarian actors within assessed camps to provide the appropriate response that matches IDPs needs.