District Fire and Rescue Department chief Jaafar Salleh said more than 1,500 people were left homeless after 100 wooden houses and some 50 shops in the tightly knitted settlement were destroyed in the fire that began at two houses around 1.30am.
Jaafar said his department received a distress call at 1.48am and immediately deployed three fire engines with 12 firefighters to the scene.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the fire had destroyed two houses and was spreading rapidly to the other houses that were located close to each other. We managed to control the fire about four hours later before completely extinguishing it at 7.59am,” he said.
The Kunak firemen were assisted by their counterparts from Tawau as well as civil defence personnel and Rela members.
Jaafar added no casualties were reported and the cause of the fire and losses were being investigated.
The Kunak district office is providing immediate assistance to the victims.
The cause of the fire is believed to have been triggered by a short circuit at one of the wooden stilt houses.
Meanwhile, Kunak assemblyman Datuk Nilwan Kabang said the village was occupied by locals and illegal immigrants.
According to Nilwan, all the victims will be placed in a temporary evacuation centre at the Kunak community hall.
Last week, a Malaysian police corporal was among six Sulu terrorist suspects detained at Kampung Pangkalan.
The police also seized membership cards and commander appointment certificates of the Sulu sultanate, several documents linked to the sultanate, as well as weapons.
All of them were held under Section 124(C) of the Penal Code and would be investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
In February last year, a group of armed terrorists intruded into Lahad Datu in which 10 Malaysian security personnel comprising eight policemen and two soldiers were killed.
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