Fundraiser for family home lost in Baffle Creek October bushfires

A family has lost the dream home their Dad had been working towards since he was 21 and their three cats. Now people are rallying behind them.

Feeling helpless from her home in Adelaide, Sara Barnes has created an online fundraiser for her Dad George who lost his dream home in the Baffle Creek bushfires near Agnes Water earlier this month.

Sadly, the family were in Brisbane for a medical appointment at the time of the emergency evacuation and were unable to get back in time to get the animals.

A neighbour managed to get the family dog and one of the cats but sadly three of their pet cats died from the fire.

“They’ve had the fire warnings before but it’s never really jumped our boundary lines in previous years,” daughter Sara said.

“Then Dad got a call from the neighbour saying the warning had become extreme and they were doing an emergency evacuation.”

The pet cats belonging to the Barnes family lost in the Baffle Creek fire.

George drove back from Brisbane but by the time he got back to the driveway, the fire had already surrounded the house and he wasn’t allowed to get in.

The next morning the police broke the news to him that the home had been destroyed.

“I have only seen photos, I needed to take a moment, it’s just heartbreaking to see it like that, knowing the animals were in there and weren’t able to get out,” Sara said.

The home on Muller Road, Baffle Creek, was destroyed in the October 2023 bushfires.

It has been very hard for George to process and he said he was feeling empty and sick to his stomach.

“He said it’s gut wrenching knowing that he no longer had a home to come back to … His mother and partner could no longer come home to,” Sara said.

It was two days before they were allowed to even get to the home.

“We found one of the cats in the bush still alive but sadly it passed away at the vets the following day,” Sara said.

George Barnes lost his property in the October 2023 Baffle Creek bushfires.

The entire home was charred, and all of the belongings.

“It was our family home, Dad had it for almost 10 years and it was his retirement home; he planned to keep living in it,” Sara said.

“He’d been wanting that property since he was 21 years old.

“It is extremely dear to the whole family, extended family, grandparents, cousins, a space for everyone to come together, we would have Christmases there.”

Everything in the Barnes family home was destroyed in the bushfires.

Sadly, George has been unable to pay insurance for the past year due to the rising cost of living and ongoing medical bills, meaning the house has been uninsured.

“It’s very devastating to know I will never be sitting in the living room with my Nana again,” Sara said.

The damage to the Barnes home at Baffle Creek.

A shining light in this very hard time, a kind stranger has donated a caravan for her Dad to live in temporarily.

“We were really blown away by that … such a kind gesture,” Sara said.

More than $2,500 has been raised in four days for the family.

Donate here: Qld bushfire rips through family home taking pets.

Originally published as Fundraiser for family home lost in Baffle Creek October bushfires