A massive fire destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on the island of Borneo on Sunday, displacing their residents.
A fire broke out early Sunday in a “water village” in Sandakan district, northeast of Sabah.
The region is home to some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities. They live close to each other in houses made of wooden poles.
What do we know about fire?
According to the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung, authorities received information about the fire at around 01:32 am (1732 GMT). The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said about 37 personnel from two stations were deployed to control the fire.
“The fire spread quickly due to strong winds and proximity to homes, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to access an open water source,” Lagung said in a statement.
Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman described the fire as a “very large-scale and heartbreaking incident” in statements carried by the local English daily. star. He said 9,007 residents were affected.
Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim ordered assistance to the victims
The fire department estimates that a total of 10 acres of land has been affected by the fire, as narrow access roads were making it difficult for fire engines to reach the affected areas in time to extinguish the fire.
The fire department said no injuries or deaths were reported, and that “there is no longer any danger.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook statement that the federal government was coordinating with local authorities in Sabah to provide assistance and temporary accommodation to those affected as quickly as possible.
“The priority now is the safety of the victims and immediate assistance on the ground,” Anwar said.
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah