Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor visited fire victims at Kampung Bahagia here and the temporary evacuation centre at Taman Batu Sapi PPR.
He also handed over assistance to those affected, including contributions from the State Government, Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Muis), Sabah Baitulmal Corporation and others.
Speaking at a press conference, Hajiji said he sympathised with the large fire, which involved about 1,000 houses.
He said initial aid of RM2,000 each had been given to victims through Sabah Welfare Foundation and the State Government.
He said the assistance was hoped to help ease the victims’ burden, with 2,001 affected individuals, including non-citizens, to receive related support.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said several plans were being considered for Kampung Bahagia, including gazetting it as a village.
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He said the area was previously recognised as a settlement for Filipino refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) but had since been removed.
He said a full report on the victims was expected within one to two weeks, noting about 70 per cent of those affected were non-citizens, while those placed in six evacuation centres would remain there for a week pending further assessment.
