The Fire That Took Our Village
On 1 October 2021, Karak suffered the worst fire in its history when the fire tore through the Kampung Baru Karak housing area, destroying 53 houses and eight shops. The fire left over a hundred people homeless.
The response was remarkable. Since the tragedy, donations poured in from all over the country, and within just 10 days, over RM1.1 million was successfully raised. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) personally visited the victims and witnessed the handing over of the funds to the local village committee.
A special task force was set up to assist the victims, with its scope including serving as a communications bridge between victims and local authorities, coordinating reconstruction work, launching fundraising campaigns, and liaising on technical issues. A dedicated group of professionals — ranging from architects and engineers to land surveyors and legal experts — volunteered their expertise at no charge. The Star A well-known global audit firm, Crowe Malaysia, was also appointed to ensure full transparency and that all money collected would only be used for the rebuilding process.
Rebuilding Karak
This painting is of an excavator clearing and preparing the ground, the township structures in the background, and the open sky ahead — is a fitting visual symbol of this story. It captures the heavy machinery doing the groundwork to rebuild, while the town behind it represents what the community is working to restore. It's a hopeful image of recovery driven by collective effort.