Did You Know Ipoh Was Almost Lost Forever? Here’s What Happened During the Great Fire of 1892

On the night of June 1, 1892, an explosion occurred, and since many of the houses back then were built from wood with thatched roofs, it was no surprise that the fire spread rapidly. It also didn’t help that most of the houses were built very close to one another, and there wasn’t a proper drainage system in place.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, while a fire brigade did exist at the time, it wasn’t as well-equipped as today’s. The voluntary Chinese fire brigades reportedly operated with very basic equipment like hand pumps and buckets. So, as you can imagine, in the event of a massive fire, this method wasn’t quick or effective enough to extinguish the flames.

The Great Ipoh Fire reportedly destroyed 123 houses, with some accounts claiming the number was as high as 200. It’s estimated that the losses from the incident amounted to between $80,000 and $100,000 (in Straits Dollars).

But miraculously, despite the devastation, no deaths were recorded.

Ipoh city began to rebuild

Despite the destruction, most sources mention how Ipoh actually benefited from the fire.

During the town’s reconstruction, several measures were taken to reduce the risk of future fires: streets were widened, houses were rebuilt using bricks instead of wood, and the drainage system was improved.

Reportedly, mining tycoon Yau Tet Shin, who financed much of the reconstruction, was credited with designing wider streets arranged in a grid pattern.