Fire destroys 1,000 ‘stilt’ homes in Malaysia’s Sabah, displacing thousands | Malaysia
A massive fire on Sunday destroyed nearly 1,000 makeshift homes, many built on stilts over water, and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state, officials said.
The fire broke out early Sunday morning in a “water village” in Sabah’s north-eastern Sandakan district, where some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities, live in close-together wooden stilt houses.
Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman said the “very large-scale and heartbreaking incident” affected 9,007 residents, according to local British newspaper The Star.
The morning fire and rescue department said it was notified of the incident at around 1.30am (17.30 GMT on Saturday) and 37 personnel from two stations were deployed to fight the fire.
“The fire involved approximately 1,000 temporary floating homes with a total area of 10 acres, which were 100% burned,” the ministry said in a statement.
It was stated that narrow access roads prevented fire trucks from reaching the site.
In the statement of the ministry, it was stated that “The low sea tide made it difficult for firefighters to access an open water source”, while the strong wind also fueled the flames.
No injuries or deaths were reported, the statement said, adding that “there is no longer any danger.”
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government was coordinating with Sabah authorities to provide assistance and temporary shelter to those affected as soon as possible.
“The priority now is the safety of the victims and immediate assistance on the ground,” Anwar said in a Facebook post.
