After a destructive house fire in Ilocos Sur on Nov. 27, Ruth Mary Repuyan and her family found their family Bible largely intact amid the ashes. Video shows the book’s cover, spine and pages appearing unmarked while most possessions were destroyed. Repuyan called the discovery "a miracle," and the report notes similar incidents in recent years where religious texts survived major disasters.
After Devastating Ilocos Sur House Fire, Family Finds Only Their Bible Intact — "A Miracle"
A homeowner was startled to find one treasured object that somehow escaped damage during a devastating house fire.
A family in Ilocos Sur, Philippines, returned to the charred remains of their home on Nov. 27 after a blaze reduced much of the house and its contents to ash and twisted debris. As they sifted through the wreckage looking for anything salvageable, they discovered a single unexpected survivor: their family Bible.
Ruth Mary Repuyan and her relatives carefully combed the scorched ruins. Video footage captured by Viral Press shows Repuyan spotting a thick object half-buried beneath the rubble. Expecting it to be ruined like everything else, she pulled the item free and was surprised to find the Bible largely intact.
When a homeowner from Georgia went back into her bedroom to look at the hurricane damage, she was shocked to see that her room was completely destroyed — but her Bible remained untouched.
In the footage Repuyan lifts the book from the ashes, flips through its pages and shows the cover and spine — all appearing unmarked despite extensive burn damage to surrounding household items. A second nearby book was found badly singed.
"We will celebrate Christmas with nothing left. Everything was burnt, and the only thing we have is the Bible. This is a miracle," Repuyan said.
The Philippines has a predominantly Christian population, with more than 99 million Christians according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Stories of religious texts surviving fires and other disasters are widely reported and often described as remarkable or faith-affirming by families and communities.
There have been many reports of cases in which Bibles remained undamaged in major house fires.
Similar Incidents
News outlets have reported comparable cases in recent years. In the fall of 2024, for example, 62-year-old Cindy Cole of Nashville, Georgia, said she lost her home during Hurricane Helene but awoke after hearing what she described as a voice telling her to move rooms; a tree soon smashed into the bedroom where she had been sleeping, and her Bible was left untouched. In 2019, a Gulf Coast family said a grandfather’s Bible survived a Christmas tree fire virtually undamaged.
These accounts — including the Ilocos Sur footage referenced by Viral Press and reporting from Fox News — have been shared as examples of objects that survive severe damage, often becoming powerful symbols of faith and resilience for the affected families.
Reporters Brittany Kasko and Caleb Parke contributed to coverage cited in this story.
