The flames seen from a distance before firefighters arrive to control the situation.
TATAU: Fire destroyed four double-storey wooden houses at Kampung Dagang here around 6.15pm on Tuesday, leaving 61 individuals from 11 families homeless.
Most of the affected families managed to salvage some of their properties.
The victims are currently sheltered at Tatau’s sports centre and the Welfare Department has distributed relief assistance to them.
The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen of one of the houses when the family left the food cooking on the stove unattended. A fogging activity was also conducted in the area around the time of the incident.
Two fire engines from Bintulu and Tatau with 15 firefighters were dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call around 6.20pm.
The firefighters arrived at the scene at 6.37pm and contained the flames from spreading to other houses an hour later.
No one was reported hurt in the fire.