KUCHING: The blaze at the Sarawak Cultural Village near the state capital a week ago destroyed priceless Bidayuh historical traditional heirlooms and cultural artefacts, plus caused more than RM2 million in infrastructure losses.
State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the aftermath of the fire revealed devastating losses.
“The Bidayuh longhouse destroyed in the blaze contained priceless heritage items of the Bidayuh ethnic group.
“The State Cabinet will decide how to restore the building, which is a heritage site,” he said after a briefing on the matter.
The fire erupted at the iconic Sarawak Cultural Village on the night of October 13.
The management of Sarawak Cultural Village said in a press statement that the blaze destroyed the Bidayuh heritage longhouse.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that the fire completely destroyed the Bidayuh longhouse but was extinguished at about 1am on October 14 and prevented from spreading to other buildings.
“An investigation is underway to determine how the fire started.
“The site affected by the fire has been cordoned off.
“The rest of the Cultural Village has been declared safe and remains open to visitors and tourists,” the Village management said, adding that no injuries were reported.
Sarawak Bomba said fire teams from three different stations were deployed following an emergency alert, but the fire was already at an advanced stage.
The Sarawak Cultural Village, located about 30km from the state capital Kuching, is a state heritage site.
It is one of the most famous tourism attractions in Sarawak and Borneo, housing heritage longhouses and showhouses of all the major ethnic communities in Sarawak.
The site also serves as a venue for traditional festivals as well as international music festivals and concerts.
The most famous of the annual events is the Rainforest World Music Festival, which has been staged for about 25 years.
