BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A fire ravaged over 10 houses in the iconic Water Village in Brunei's capital early Wednesday.
No casualties were reported during the incident that occurred at about 2 a.m. local time. The fire was believed to have started from one of the houses and quickly spread to the others.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation by authorities.
The Water Village in Brunei or locally known as Kampong Ayer is the largest water village in South East Asia. Made up of many smaller floating villages, the village is located in the heart of the Sultanate's capital Bandar Seri Begawan - one of the major tourist attractions in Brunei.
The Water Village was once a very populous settlement but some of the dwellers moved inland due to the national housing schemes being provided by the government. In the 1980s, there were approximately 40,000 people living in the village. According to Brunei's 2012 census, the people living in the Water Village has decreased to a total of 13,162.
