Morning fire leaves 182 homeless in Sandakan
Published on: Sunday, December 28, 2014
SANDAKAN: About 182 people from 44 families were made homeless when an early morning fire ripped through 17 houses at Jalan Jaya Chip, Kampung Gas Baru, here, Saturday.Sixteen of the houses were razed to the ground while the remaining house was partially damaged. A van was also gutted.Sandakan Fire and Rescue Department Chief, Haikal Jammy Ngali Abdullah, said three fire engines and 24 firefighters were dispatched to the scene upon receiving a distress call at 6.49am.
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He said eight volunteer firefighters and 35 people from emergency response teams of a nearby factory also assisted them in the operation.Apart from using the department's resources to put out the fire, he said the firefighters also used resources from the factory and seawater to fight the blaze.Haikal said the fire was brought under control at 8.35am and no casualties were reported.The cause of the fire and losses are still being investigated, he added.
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Some of the fire victims who told Daily Express that all their children's school materials, including textbooks, were destroyed in the fire. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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The Social Welfare Services Department will be handing out cooked food for three days beginning Saturday to the fire victims who have been relocated temporarily to a grand stand of the village while some have moved to stay with their relatives.
