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Relief fund to help Spaoh fire victims has been formed: DCM

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Assistance from the Welfare Department.
Uggah with Chuat presenting personal donation to one of the affected families.

KUCHING:  Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said a relief fund to help victims of the Chinese New Year Eve Spaoh Shops fire has been formed.

He said the Betong Resident’s Office is managing this Spaoh Fire Disaster Fund.

Uggah, who is Bukit Saban assemblyman, said here yesterday that he and Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat had given RM40,000 each to the fund.

“The fund is also to ensure all assistance given will reach those affected,” he said.

Assistance from the Welfare Department.

The Welfare Department too had delivered necessities like food, cooking utensils and mattresses and blankets to the victims, he said.

The 1pm fire on Feb 4 destroyed a row of eight units of old wooden shops.

Uggah said he and Lawson had visited the victims on the same day to check on their welfare and to deliver personal donations to them.

Each family received RM1,000 for them to prepare for their reunion dinner.

Later in the evening, Uggah chaired a meeting with all the relevant departments and community leaders to discuss the fate of the victims.

“We had discussed how, in short term, we are going to resettle them.

“For the medium term, we had talked about providing temporary shops and we are looking at this possibility.

“Then for the long term, we had discussed about the victims’ plan on redeveloping the area for new shop houses,” he said.

Uggah commended the voluntary fire fighting squads from Spaoh and Betong and the Betong Fire and Rescue Department for their prompt action in fighting the blaze.

They had successfully prevented it from spreading to other shops, he said.

He also wanted the authorities concerned to do a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire.

“I will be expecting the report soon.” he said.

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