A massive fire destroyed some 1,000 makeshift homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island on Sunday, displacing their residents.

The fire erupted early on Sunday in a ‘water village’ in Sandakan district in the northeast of Sabah.

The area is home to some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities. They live in wooden stilt houses packed tightly next to each other.

What do we know about the fire?

Authorities were notified of the fire at around 01:32am (1732 GMT), according to the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung. Some 37 personnel were deployed from two stations to battle the blaze, the Sabah Fire and Rescue department said.

“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 said in a statement.

Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman described the fire as a ‘very large-scale and heartbreaking incident’ in statements carried by the local English daily The Star. He said it affected 9,007 residents.

PM orders assistance to victims

The fire department estimated that a total of 10 acres were affected by the fire, as fire engines struggled to reach the impacted areas in time to put out the flames due to narrow access routes.

No injuries or deaths were reported, the fire department said, adding that there was ‘no more danger’.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook statement that the federal government was coordinating with local authorities in Sabah to provide those affected with assistance and temporary accommodation as soon as possible.

“The priority now is the safety of victims and immediate assistance on the ground,” Anwar said.

DW