At least 50 refugees and other migrants were rescued after issuing a distress call from their sinking sailboat.
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Police are investigating whether the fire was deliberate, but an aid worker said it started after a food dispute.
Migrants in the camp have been frustrated with the slow asylum request process, rumors they would be deported to Turkey, the over-capacitated camp, and ethnic tensions between migrants.
More than 5,400 refugees and migrants are now located on Lesbos, which is the main destination for over a million people who have travelled to the eastern islands of Greece from Turkey since the start of 2015.
Including those on the islands, there are 60,000 migrants and refugees stranded in Greece, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who made risky journeys in flimsy inflatable boats.
Despite a slowdown in arrivals from Turkey compared to past year, more than 13,500 migrants and refugees are now living on eastern Aegean islands, almost double a capacity of 7,450. The migrants are demanding to be allowed to travel to Athens.
According to government data, there are over 13,000 people on five islands in facilities built to house fewer than 8,000.
There are reports that some people had lit fires to keep warm as the temperature drops and winter sets in. While facilities in Lesbos only has capacity for 3,600 migrants, about 5,600 now reside there.
Many on the island are afraid of being returned to Turkey or their home countries, correspondents say.
Speaking at the first United Nations refugee summit in New York, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned that failure to confront the refugee crisis would unleash xenophobia.
‘If we fail to support this, the political repercussions will be felt not only in Greece but everywhere, ‘ he said.
He added if legal channels of migration are not created “we will give space to nationalistic, xenophobic forces to show their face”.
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The IRC’s team on Lesbos responded to the immediate needs of refugees returning to Moria last night by providing family tents, mattresses and sleeping bags to be used as needed.
