SANDAKAN: A total of 12 firefighters from the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station had to use boats provided by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to reach a massive blaze at Kampung Nunuyan Laut, a water village here, early Wednesday.
The emergency call was received by the Sandakan Fire Station Control Room at 3.50 am, with initial reports indicating that more than 10 houses were believed to be on fire.
The firefighting team arrived at the MMEA jetty at 5.25 am before embarking on a 12-kilometre journey by sea to the incident site. The fire station is located 6.1 kilometres from the jetty, prompting the crew to request MMEA’s assistance for vessel transport to carry personnel and operational equipment to the remote location.
Operation Commander, PBK I Alan Ayuh, reported that the fire completely destroyed 28 wooden houses, affecting an estimated area of 30 metres by 200 metres. Firefighting efforts utilised a single 300-foot hose line with two jets, drawing water from the open sea.
However, the operation was significantly hampered by strong winds, which not only made navigation difficult for the responding teams but also caused the flames to spread rapidly from one house to another.
The fire was brought under control at 5.45 am. Leading the operation were Senior Operations Commander TPgB II Mohd Faizal Wahid, PKPgB Hairi Otuh and PKPgB Jimmy Lagung. Thanks to their swift intervention, the team successfully saved 162 nearby houses from being engulfed.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported throughout the incident. Firefighters remained on-site for damping down and monitoring operations to ensure no embers reignited and to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding areas. The operation was officially concluded at 8.33 am, after the scene was declared safe and free of any further danger.
Meanwhile, Sandakan Municipal Council president Datuk Walter Kenson who is also the District Disaster Management Committee Chairman, said the affected victims would be temporary housed at the village mosque pending further actions. – James Leong
Aftermath of the blaze at Kampung Nunuyan Laut water village, Sandakan on Wednesday.
