Almost 400 people were made homeless when a fire destroyed fifty-seven houses in a settlement in Bukit Malut, Langkawi last night.

Losses were estimated to be more than RM1 million although no injury was reported.

Head of the Langkawi fire station Yaakob Hassan, who was also the operations officer, said five engines from the Jalan Persiaran Putra and Jalan Ayer Hangat fire stations together with 40 personnel and assisted by 30 policemen and personnel from the Civil Defence Department and Rela were rushed to the scene as soon as the distress call was received at 11.39pm.

The firemen and personnel from the other agencies succeeded in preventing the fire from destroying 243 houses nearby and properties worth RM4 million.

The cause of the fire was still being investigated, said Yaakob when met in Langkawi today.

The fire was the third to have occurred in the area after the first in 2006 and second in 2007 which destroyed more than 200 houses.

- Bernama