Fire Breaks Out at Camp in Slovenia as Migrants Push Forward

Freezing temperatures and burning tents heightened the misery of thousands of people pushing their way through Europe on Wednesday, hoping to find refuge at the end of their arduous treks

Slovenian police and soldiers watch the fire at a camp for migrants near Slovenia's border with Croatia, in Brezice, Slovenia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek

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U.N. refugee agency officer Francesca Bonelli said around 3,000 migrants were there overnight, including little children, the elderly, people in wheelchairs and many sick and exhausted.

A statement from EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s office said Sunday’s summit was a response to “a need for much greater cooperation, more extensive consultation and immediate operational action.”

Nations invited to attend are EU member states Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia, and non-EU countries Macedonia and Serbia.

“The objective of the meeting will be to agree common operational conclusions which could be immediately implemented,” the EU Commission statement said.