KOTA PADAWAN: Victims of the squatter house fire by the banks of Sungai Plan, Jalan Tanjung Kidurong in Bintulu, do not require a temporary relief centre (PPS) as they have found temporary shelters with family members.
Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said the victims immediately moved into the homes of their relatives since the affected area was a squatter settlement.
“Therefore, we extended other forms of assistance by distributing ready-to-eat food and dry food supplies to the affected victims immediately after the fire.
“Initially, we provided food aid and conducted assessments on each affected family.
“After that, we collected profiles of each household head and their family members to ensure more targeted aid could be provided, including pocket money, clothing and school supplies for the children,” she said.
She said this when met by reporters after officiating the Hari Raya Aidilfitri ‘Majlis Langgar Meja’ event at the Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (PUSPEN) at Jalan Puncak Borneo here today.
For the record, the fire incident, which occurred last Monday, involved 18 squatter homes and affected 92 victims, including 67 adults and 25 children.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) received a call at around 11:06 am and immediately deployed a team of 14 firefighters from the Kidurong Fire and Rescue Station (BBP), with assistance from BBP Bintulu, to the scene.
Upon arrival, the fire team found the blaze had already engulfed the entire area, destroying the non-permanent structures which were built close to each other.
The fire also left the victims homeless and claimed the life of a 77-year-old senior citizen, Nuie Ipang.
