A major fire destroyed around 200 stilt houses in a Sandakan water village, with firefighters struggling to control the blaze due to access issues
SANDAKAN: A major fire has destroyed approximately 200 stilt houses at the Kampung Bahagia water village here.
The Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station received an emergency call about the blaze at 1.32 am.
Station chief Jimmy Lagung confirmed that firefighting operations are still ongoing and the fire is not yet under control.
Firefighters are facing significant difficulties reaching the scene due to narrow access roads.
These roads are hindering the movement of fire engines to the affected area.
Strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Low tide conditions also made it difficult for crews to obtain an open water source for firefighting.
A total of 35 personnel have been deployed to the scene from the Sandakan and Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue stations.
