Australia Fires Burn Down Woman's House But Amazingly Spare Her Garden
Casey Kirchhoff shared photos that many people found poignant and poetic in the wake of such destruction.
Since September, Australia has been experiencing devastating wildfires that have killed at least 27 people, burned down more than 2,000 homes, and endangered the populations of thousands of animal and plant species. Most of the images coming out of the fires have been deeply heartbreaking, but these photos of a garden that was spared by the blaze is providing a glimmer of hope in the wake of this terrible tragedy.
Scientist Casey Kirchhoff and her husband managed to flee their home in Wingello several days before the fires arrived, taking their dogs, quails, and chickens with them.
On Sunday, Kirchhoff was informed that her home had been destroyed. "It's hard not to be sad about it but at the same time we feel really lucky that we're in a safe place, there's a lot of people doing it so much worse," Kirchhoff told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I think when we actually get up there we know it's going to be really hard."
When Kirchhoff arrived shortly thereafter to the site where her house once stood, she was stunned to see that while her home was gone, her garden largely remained. And, of course, "the glasshouse is completely unscathed," she tweeted.
Our home is gone but the garden still stands (sort of). And would you bloody well believe the glasshouse is completely unscathed! #Wingello #AustraliaFires pic.twitter.com/OOo602bXza
— Casey Kirchhoff (@gumnut_case) January 6, 2020
Twitter users found the photos to be poetic—a sign, perhaps, that beautiful things can prevail through this destruction.
So sorry.
The photos are incredibly poignant and powerful. Thank you for posting them.— Dr Desirée Kozlowski (@Pleasure_Lab) January 6, 2020
People expressed their condolences for Kirchhoff's loss but commended her for having a sense of humor about it all.
https://twitter.com/sengaroy/status/1214002938835689473
Many were inspired by her attitude and said they were glad some of what she loves still stands.
https://twitter.com/BeingButterfly_/status/1214324152741482496
After all, sometimes, terrible things happen, and all we can do is be grateful for what we have and rebuild.
