Volunteers at the Moria refugee camp have confirmed that around 4,000 people have been evacuated.
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Some migrants are being allowed to return to the camp now that the fire is out.
A police officer said there was “no doubt” that the fire had been set on objective by those inside adding the situation is hard because of the wind which was fanning the flames.
The fire service was called in shortly before 8 p.m. but firefighters were unable to enter the premises for at least half an hour because of the rioting.
It was not clear what caused the blaze, but Greek media said clashes had erupted following a rumour that hundreds of people would be deported.Migrants stand among the remains of a burned tent at the Moria migrant camp, after a fire that ripped through tents and destroyed containers during violence among residents, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, September 20, 2016.
More than 60,000 refugees are now in Greece, a lot of them seeking to reach Germany and other wealthy European countries. Nine migrants suspected of starting fire have been arrested, authorities said Tuesday.
Around 4,000 asylum seekers have escaped the camp in the Aegean island of Lesbos.
But their journey is now facing difficulties as several eastern European and Balkan states closed their borders earlier this year.
Lesbos hosts one of the camps, but the facility has been particularly criticized by human rights groups for being overcrowded and suffering from unsanitary conditions.
(AP Photo/Michael Schwarz). Migrants hold their belonging as a large fire burns inside the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, late Monday, Sept. 19.
The procedure is part of the EU-Turkey deal brokered in March, in which the EU pledged to work towards visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to Europe’s Schengen zone in exchange for Ankara’s assistance in curbing migrants crossing to the Greek islands.
A police source said there was “no doubt” the fire that ripped through the facility had been started by a number of migrants who lived there.
Government data cited by AFP says that five Greek islands are housing some 13,000 refugees, while originally they were created to accommodate less than 8,000.
Majority are Syrian refugees fleeing civil war, in addition to Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis and others from the Indian subcontinent and Africa considered to be economic migrants, and as such not automatically entitled to asylum in Europe.
On Lesbos itself there are more than 5,600 people, over 2,000 more than the nominal capacity of the camps.
Many on the island are afraid of being returned to Turkey or their home countries, correspondents say. “If we, the global community, fail in supporting this effort not only the social, but also the political repercussions will be felt, not only in Greece but anywhere”.
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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Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants passed through Slovenia past year at the height of Europe’s migrant crisis.
