SANDAKAN: A fire that swept through Kampung Bahagia in the Sandakan district of Sabah destroyed about 1,000 homes and affected 9,007 residents, turning an early report of roughly 200 houses lost into one of the state’s biggest recent settlement fires. Authorities said the blaze tore through the coastal water village before dawn on April 19, forcing families from tightly packed wooden homes built on stilts over the sea and sending hundreds of evacuees to temporary relief centres as the wider registration of victims continued.
The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said it received the first emergency call at about 1:32 a.m. and deployed crews to the settlement, where strong winds and the close spacing of homes accelerated the spread of flames. Firefighters also faced difficult access because of narrow routes into the village and low tide conditions that complicated operations in the stilt-house area. The scale of damage widened sharply as the response continued, with officials later saying the fire had spread across much of the settlement before it was brought under control.
Police said no deaths had been confirmed, while district authorities moved to organize evacuations, registration and immediate assistance for residents who lost their homes. The Royal Malaysia Police said the area was declared a disaster zone at 4 a.m., reflecting the extent of the destruction and the need for coordinated emergency management. The disaster declaration also allowed agencies on the ground to centralize relief efforts as families gathered at designated shelters and officials worked to verify the number of people affected by the fire.
Sabah authorities widen relief for fire victims
Federal and state authorities said the priority was to provide food, temporary accommodation and basic necessities to displaced residents. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government and the Sabah state government were coordinating assistance for affected families. By Monday morning, officials said six relief centres had been opened and were sheltering 248 people from 219 families, while registration at several centres was still ongoing. The lower shelter tally compared with the total number affected reflected the continuing effort to record victims and determine where each family had gone after the fire.
Kampung Bahagia is a water village, a type of coastal settlement common in parts of Sabah where rows of wooden homes stand close together above the shoreline. That layout can allow fires to spread quickly once one structure ignites, especially in dry and windy conditions. In this case, authorities said the blaze moved rapidly through the settlement and damaged much of the housing stock. The destruction left thousands of residents facing the loss of shelter, personal belongings and household essentials in a community where many families depend on modest incomes and dense shared living conditions.
Investigation continues after one of Sandakan’s largest settlement fires
Officials said the fire affected about 1,000 of the roughly 1,200 homes in the village, underscoring the breadth of the damage in a single overnight incident. The burned area was reported to cover more than four hectares. Firefighters said operations concluded around noon on April 19 after crews from Sandakan and nearby stations worked to extinguish hotspots and prevent the flames from spreading farther. The response remained focused on victim support, site safety and maintaining access for emergency personnel and aid distribution teams moving in and out of the damaged settlement.
Authorities have not released a final cause and said the fire remains under investigation. Officials have also dismissed social media claims of fatalities, maintaining that no deaths were recorded in the blaze as of the latest confirmed updates. For residents of Kampung Bahagia, the immediate reality is the loss of homes and the need for shelter, food and documentation support while officials complete registration and recovery planning. The latest confirmed figures place the incident among the most severe fire disasters to hit a Sabah water village in recent years. – By Content Syndication Services.