KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (Xinhua) -- An early morning fire in a coastal village in the northern Borneo state of Sabah destroyed about 1,000 houses, affecting more than 9,000 residents, Malaysian authorities said on Sunday.
The blaze engulfed an area of more than 4 hectares, with low tide conditions hampering efforts to secure an adequate open water source for firefighting operations, Sandakan district's fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung told Bernama.
Sandakan municipal council president Walter Kenson said inspections found the affected residential areas unsafe for occupation, and that the council had declared a disaster over the incident.
According to Jimmy Lagung, the fire broke out at 1:32 a.m. local time, adding that the firefighting operation concluded at noon, and no casualties were reported.
"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," he said.
Local authorities have started arranging temporary shelters for the affected residents. ■