KOTA KINABALU, April 5 — Ten heads of households affected by the recent fire in Kampung Gudon, Menggatal received help today in the form of kitchen supplies and cash aid from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The assistance was presented by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.

Speaking to reporters after presenting the aid, Mustapha said it reflected the prime minister’s concern to support and lighten the burden of those affected by the incident.

“Today, I, along with officers from the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit, represented the prime minister to present contributions to the victims of the fire incident. The prime minister also conveyed his condolences to all the victims involved,” he said.

Mustapha, who is also the Sepanggar Member of Parliament, said that his team would continue to monitor the situation to ensure that all victims received the best possible support.

“We will see what assistance we can provide, including during the cleaning phase until their houses are rebuilt. We will also compile reports to coordinate aid and apply for Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) houses for eligible victims,” he added.

The fire, which broke out at 3.40pm last Saturday in Kampung Gudon, Menggatal, destroyed seven houses, with no casualties reported.

Meanwhile, one of the victims, Zainal Anjah, 40, expressed his gratitude to the government, particularly the prime minister, for helping ease their burden.

“Thank you to all who offered help, especially the Sepanggar Parliamentary Office. This support has been a great help to us, as without it we would feel like starting from zero,” said Zainal, who suffered losses of about RM80,000 after his two-storey house was destroyed in the fire.

Meanwhile, Mustapha reminded the people of Sabah to be ready to face the second wave of the global energy crisis.

“We in Sabah and Sarawak are also affected by this energy crisis. Although diesel and petrol prices in the two states remain unchanged, we need to be prepared since we do not know when the war will end,” he said. — Bernama