TAWAU, Dec 15 — Several residents of stilt houses in Kampung Sri Aman, here, were forced to jump into the sea to save themselves after their homes and connecting bridges were destroyed in a fire on Saturday night.

One of the victims, Liny Daurong, 58, said at the time of the incident, she and her husband, who suffers from a chronic illness, were asleep and only woke up after hearing their son, who had just returned from work, shouting that their house was on fire.

“My son immediately carried his father out of the house because my husband cannot walk or speak. I managed to take some important documents and followed my son, who was carrying my husband to safety. However, I turned back because my son had gone back to the house to try to save other belongings.

“At that time, I saw that the fire was spreading fast and many houses were burning. The fire spread quickly, and the bridge leading to our house was destroyed. When I saw that the bridge had collapsed, I jumped into the sea,” she told reporters when met here yesterday.

Liny said she also shouted to her son, instructing him to throw their belongings into the sea, which was then at chest level, while praying for their safety.

At the same time, Liny said she hoped the government would allow the residents to rebuild their homes on the original site and provide financial assistance for reconstruction.

Another victim, Janing Jamalang, 57, was also asleep at the time and was awakened by her husband, who told her to flee to safety. In the panic, she did not manage to save any belongings, including important documents.

She said the situation was chaotic, and her one-month-old grandchild was placed inside her daughter’s clothing before they ran to safety.

“At that time, I saw people jumping into the sea, and many were already on boats. The flames were raging, but I am grateful that my family is safe, even though we were left with only the clothes on our backs,” she said, adding that she had lodged a police report regarding the incident and the loss of important documents.

Janing echoed Liny’s hope that the government would help ease the burden of the fire victims and provide appropriate assistance, including allowing homes to be rebuilt on the original site.

Meanwhile, Tawau Social Welfare Department officer Nurul Fadhilah Abdul Hamid said a temporary evacuation centre has been activated at the Tawau Sports Complex multipurpose hall to accommodate more than 200 fire victims.

At about 11.30pm on Saturday, 30 semi-permanent stilt houses were destroyed in a fire at Lorong Jade 4, Kampung Sri Aman, Jalan Apas. — Bernama