Sandakan: About 200 stilt houses were destroyed in a fire at the Kampung Bahagia water village here early this morning. Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station chief Jimmy Lagung said his department received a call on the fire at 1.32 am. He said firefighting operations are still ongoing and the blaze has yet to be brought under control.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, firefighters are facing difficulties reaching the scene due to narrow access roads, which are hindering the movement of fire engines. Strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to obtain an open water source. Lagung added that 35 personnel, including from the Sandakan and Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue stations, have been deployed to the scene.

Meanwhile, Sandakan District Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Walter Kenson, who is also the Sandakan Municipal Council president, has declared a disaster following the fire. He said in line with this, a temporary relief centre (PPS) at the PPR Batu Sapi hall was activated at 7 am today to accommodate affected residents. Inspections in the village found that the residents' homes are no longer safe to live in following the fire incident.

Unofficial figures show that the number of evacuees stands at 445 people from 89 families, who have been registered at the PPS.