Fire destroys 1,000 stilt homes in Borneo water village, displacing 9,007

A fire that swept through Kampung Bahagia in Sandakan turned a dense stilt-home settlement on the northeastern edge of Borneo into ash, wiping out about 1,000 makeshift homes and displacing roughly 9,007 residents. The blaze struck one of Sabah’s water villages, where homes built close together over water can become a single fuel line when flames take hold.

The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said it was notified at about 1:32 a.m. and sent 37 personnel from two stations to fight the fire. By the time crews reached the site, strong winds had helped the flames race through the settlement, while the homes’ tight spacing accelerated the spread. Officials also said low tide made it difficult to draw from an open water source, and narrow access routes prevented fire engines from reaching the area directly.

Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman said the fire involved an estimated 10 acres of homes, and the entire affected area was described as 100 percent burnt. No injuries or fatalities were reported, a rare measure of relief in a disaster that otherwise erased an entire neighborhood in a matter of hours.

The destruction underscored the particular danger faced by informal coastal communities, where homes are often built with limited fire separation, few road links and fragile utility access. In Kampung Bahagia, those vulnerabilities collided with wind, tide and congestion, leaving firefighters to contend with a blaze that could not be contained before it consumed the settlement.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government would coordinate with Sabah authorities to provide basic assistance, temporary accommodation and relocation for those affected. The Central Disaster Management Committee was also mobilized to coordinate aid and welfare support, signaling an immediate relief effort for families who lost homes, belongings and the stability of a community built over water.