Second blaze in area in under two weeks; 186 residents affected, cause still under investigation
Fire destroys dozens of homes in Malaysia’s Sabah state. PHOTO: X
A fire destroyed at least 30 makeshift wooden homes in Malaysia’s Sabah state early Wednesday, officials said, in the second reported blaze in the area in fewer than two weeks.
The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said the pre-dawn blaze swept through a settlement in Sandakan district in Sabah’s northeast, where some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities, live in closely packed, wooden houses. No injuries or fatalities were reported, it said.
It was the second such fire in Sandakan since April 19, when a massive fire razed 1,000 homes and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village.
“It is estimated that about 186 residents are affected. We’re still investigating the cause of the fire,” Sandakan Fire and Rescue station chief Jimmy Lagung told AFP by telephone from Sandakan on Wednesday. In a statement, the fire department said 21 firefighters were deployed to put out the blaze, managing to prevent the flames from spreading to about 100 neighbouring houses.
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In a previous fire, thousands of people were displaced after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island on April 19, the fire department said. Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at around 1:32am, the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung said.
The fire broke out in one of Sabah’s water villages, which feature wooden houses built on stilts and are home to some of the country’s poorest communities, including many stateless and indigenous groups. Over 9,000 residents were affected by the fire, though no deaths were reported, Sandakan police said, according to state news agency Bernama.