65 houses gutted by fire in Tawau

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The aftermath of the fire at Kampung Tanjung Batu Darat. -Bernama foto

TAWAU: An evening fire destroyed 65 houses at Kampung Tanjung Batu Darat here on Monday night.

Fire and Rescue Department station chief Sharudy Delamin said the department received a distress call about 7.54pm.

He said firemen in six vehicles, three utility vehicles and 43 firemen including from Kunak and six from Merotai helped in putting out the fire.

According to Sharudy, when firemen arrived at the scene three houses were on fire and the team started to douse the flames by getting water from vehicles, fire hydrant and river.

He said the firemen faced difficulties due to low water pressure and low tide. The fire spread too fast because of the  non-permanent structures and the homes were built too close to one another.

The fire was put under control at 12.48am and the operation ended at 4.59am, he said.

There was no casualty reported and the damage and cause of the fire are still being investigated.