The story of the “house of the miracle”, which survives the lava of the volcano of La Palma

In the middle of hell Cumbre Vieja Volcano, erupted a week ago in the Canary Islands, an image has stolen all eyes on social networks.

This is a photo taken by a drone a few days ago, where you can see an idyllic family home that miraculously, in the middle of a place where the jet rock did not reach, survived the lava river which invades the island.

“I know this house! My husband and I built it! Ada Monnikendam, one of the home builders, reacted when she discovered on social media that it was still in its foundations.

Inge and Rainer Cocq, the Danish retired couple who own the house, were as surprised as Ada, who was responsible for informing them that the facilities had not yet been razed.

“They told me: ‘even though we can’t go now we’re relieved he’s still up. We will take advantage of it in a while … or we will leave it to our three children, ”said Monnikendam of the response of the couple, who have not returned to the island since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thirty years ago Inge and Rainer came to La Palma and met Ada, a Dutchwoman who settled on the island in 1976 and is today the head of a chalet construction company with her husband and brother-in-law.

Oddly enough, one of the attractions that brought the couple to La Palma was its spectacular volcanic landscape, an obsession they shared since they were young and wanted it to be a part of their lives.

The site is in the region of El Paraíso, the area most affected by the volcano’s lava river, which is still active. Terror reigns as more than half of the homes, including the local school, have been burnt down.

The author of the image is Alfonso Escalero, coordinator of the production company “I love the world”, who distributed it in the networks after flying over the sky of the disaster with a drone. He thus became an icon of tragedy, but a hope for its owners.