Fire razes 200 homes in Sabah, leaving hundreds homeless

Sabah fire displaces 445 people as relief efforts focus on safety and immediate aid for victims in affected areas.

Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at ⁠about 1.32am on Sunday (17:32 GMT, Saturday), the district’s fire and rescue chief, Jimmy Lagung, was quoted as saying.

“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,” Bernama quoted Lagung as saying.

About 445 people have ⁠been displaced so far, Bernama said, citing unofficial figures of people ⁠registered at a temporary relief ⁠centre in Sandakan.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government was coordinating with Sabah authorities to provide basic assistance ‌and temporary relocation for those affected.

“The priority now is the safety of the victims and ‌immediate assistance ‌on the ground,” he said in a Facebook post.