Assistance comes pouring in for fire victims

Mohina with some of the fire victims

17 September 2024

By AVV

TONGOD: Donations have been pouring in from compassionate members of the public to support the victims of the fire at Kg Pinangah today.

So far, this remarkable outpouring of generosity has reached RM15,000, with significant contributions including a notable RM10,000 from Datuk Ewon Benedick, the President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (UPKO).

Mohina Sidom, the UPKO Malaysia Woman Chief and UPKO Kinabatangan Divisional Chief, has expressed her commitment to monitoring the situation closely.

She has already visited the victims and provided initial assistance, and she plans to send additional support in the form of food supplies and cooking gas tanks to help alleviate the burdens faced by those affected during this challenging time.

In the wake of this disaster, various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) stepped in to offer essential assistance to the affected residents. Contributions have included food supplies from One Stop, essential goods from JPKA Tongod, and bottled drinking water from the Dioses Church Tongod, among others. This collective effort underscores the community's resilience and commitment to supporting one another in times of need.

In a devastating turn of events, forty-five houses were razed to the ground in Kg Pinangah yesterday, leaving 78 families and a total of 293 individuals displaced. The fire destroyed the permanent structures.

The victims were evacuated to the Kg. Penangah Community Hall, which has been designated as a Temporary Evacuation Centre (PPS).

According to a report from the State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat, there were no casualties reported during the incident.