KOTA KINABALU: Over a hundred families in the Semporna district who had lost their homes to a fire a few years back were forced to relive their nightmare.

       The 130 families who were residing at a temporary settlement scheme in Kampung Bangau-Bangau were once again made homeless following a blaze that started at around 11.30pm on Wednesday.

       The victims managed to flee the burning scene as fire razed a total of 10 blocks of the settlement housing 100 units of homes.

       The scheme was opened for these victims in 2017.

       No injuries were reported.

       Based on information provided by the victims, the fire was believed to have started from one of the houses in the centre of the settlement.

       Sabah Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations chief Misran Bisara said they received a call about the incident at 11.35pm.

       “Our focus was to contain the radius of burning and minimise the spread of the fire to other settlements nearby,” he said, adding that the area affected covered about 0.6ha.

       They brought the fire under control at 12.46am while operations ceased at 3.05am, said Misran.

       Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing but sources said preliminary reports suggest that the fire could have sparked from a faulty gas cylinder in a kitchen.