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ONE person was killed in a fire that gutted about 30 squatter houses in Sangan town, Tatau, in Sarawak’s Bintulu Division late last night, authorities said.
A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia’s Operations Control Centre said the identity of the victim, who was found burned to death, has yet to be determined.
The department received an emergency call about the blaze at 11.18pm, prompting the deployment of seven firefighters from the Tatau Fire and Rescue Station to the scene.
“Upon arrival, the operations commander reported that the fire involved about 30 squatter houses located near Sekolah Kebangsaan Sangan Iban and that the structures were completely destroyed,” the spokesperson said in a statement today.
“The fire location was across a river and there was no road access,” he added.
Because of the difficult terrain, firefighters were forced to use boats belonging to villagers to ferry firefighting equipment across the river in order to reach the burning settlement.
“The charred body was discovered at 2.36am and efforts are still ongoing to identify the victim,” the spokesperson said.
“Operational teams are also in the process of gathering information on the actual number of residents who were living in the squatter area.”
Investigations into the cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage are continuing. - December 26, 2025
