Over 100 homeless after fire in Sabah squatter colony

 

An aerial view of the area affected by the fire in the squatter colony. (Bomba pic)

KOTA KINABALU: More than 100 people were made homeless after a fire ripped through a congested squatter colony in Telipok near here today.

Firefighters took over an hour to bring the blaze, believed to have started at 1pm, under control.

A fire and rescue department spokesman said the fire, which was contained at 2.23pm, eventually destroyed 26 houses.

Firefighters took over an hour to bring the blaze under control. (Bomba pic)

The spokesman said the fire teams also had difficulty accessing the area initially due to vehicles parked on the roadside on the already narrow stretch leading into the colony.

When contacted, Sabah fire operations assistant director Misran Bisara said 115 families were affected by the fire.

Firefighters assessing the damage caused by the fire. (Bomba pic)

He said fire teams from the Lintas and Kota Kinabalu stations as well as from the neighbouring Tuaran district were rushed to the area following a distress call at 1.07pm.

No one was hurt, he said. The department is still investigating the cause of the fire. - FMT