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SANDAKAN: About 1,000 water village homes were destroyed in a massive early morning fire at Kampung Bahagia, Batu Sapi, leaving some 8,000 residents displaced.

The Fire and Rescue Department received the alert at 1.32am and deployed teams from Sandakan and Kinabatangan.

Closely built non-permanent houses and strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly, while narrow access routes and low tide hampered firefighting efforts.

The blaze was brought under control at 8.44am. 

The cause of the fire and total number of victims remain under investigation.