A serious fire broke out early this morning (the 27th) in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia, completely destroying a row of 70 temporary shops selling second-hand clothing. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

The fire occurred at about 4:40 a.m. at Kampung Titingan in Tawau. Jemising Oking, director of the Tawau Fire and Rescue Department, said that after receiving a report at 4:44 a.m., the authorities quickly dispatched 16 firefighters, who arrived about five minutes later at the fire scene 3 kilometers away and began rescue operations.

The group of temporary shops on fire covered an area of about 100 meters by 120 meters, and all the storefronts were destroyed. Firefighters brought the blaze under control at 5:23 a.m. and prevented it from spreading to at least 350 surrounding homes and shophouses, averting wider losses. Jemising Oking added that the operation ended at 7:42 a.m. this morning after confirming there was no remaining danger at the scene, and the cause of the fire and the specific property losses are under investigation.

The second-hand clothing shops affected by this fire are one of the important venues for the local mitumba (second-hand clothing) trade, and post-disaster recovery and the progress of the investigation deserve continued attention from the industry.

Source: 70间临时二手衣店大火 消拯员力保350住宅店屋 | 中國報 China Press · Originally published on 2026-08-27