Major Fire Destroys 1,000 Homes in Malaysia Village

(MENAFN) A pre-dawn fire tore through a coastal village in Sabah, a state on the northern tip of Borneo, incinerating roughly 1,000 homes and displacing more than 9,000 residents, Malaysian authorities confirmed Sunday.

The blaze, which consumed over four hectares of densely packed residential land, proved difficult to contain—low tide conditions severely limited firefighters' access to open water sources, Sandakan district fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung told Bernama.

Sandakan municipal council president Walter Kenson said post-fire inspections deemed the affected neighborhoods unfit for habitation, prompting the council to formally declare a disaster.

According to Jimmy Lagung, the fire ignited at 1:32 a.m. local time and was not fully extinguished until noon—a roughly ten-hour battle. No fatalities or injuries were recorded.

"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," he said.

Local authorities have since moved to arrange temporary shelter for the thousands of residents left without homes.

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