SANDAKAN: A fire tore through teachers’ quarters at SK Imbak in Tongod, an interior district in Sabah’s east coast, on Wednesday (April 29), destroying homes and a canteen and leaving 13 displaced.
The blaze, reported at about 6.20pm, engulfed four units of teachers’ housing and also damaged a vehicle, according to the Tongod district Civil Defence Force (APM).
Telupid APM officer Adrian Dauli said personnel were deployed five minutes after receiving the distress call and arrived at the scene around 6.53pm to assess the situation and monitor risks as the fire spread through the school quarters.
Police officers, auxiliary firefighters and Sabah Electricity personnel later joined the response.
While no injuries or loss of life were reported, the fire left families scrambling as flames ripped through the residential units within the school compound.
“Preliminary findings point to a possible electrical short circuit, although the exact cause has yet to be confirmed pending investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department,” Adrian said.
Initial figures showed that three men and nine women, all adults, were among those affected.
The number of victims and other details are still being updated as authorities continue ground assessments.
Adrian, when contacted, said APM was the primary responding agency at the scene due to the distance of the nearest fire station in Lamag, Kinabatangan, which is about 167km away.
He added that only auxiliary firefighters were able to reach the location to assist in the operation.
