On November the 8th, 2018, the sleepy artisan town of Paradise in Northern California was hit
by the most devastating fire in California history, destroying over 150,000 acres, nearly 19,000
structures, and claiming the lives of 85 people. It became known as the Paradise Camp Fire, and
it decimated the entire community, leaving very little left but ashes and ruin. The entire world
noticed.
Several months later, an artist named Shane Grammer, who once lived in the area, knew
and remembered his friends and family in the region, and he made a pilgrimage back to his
roots, with one purpose: To honor a friend of his, who lost everything. Shane painted a mural
on the only thing that was left of his friend's house - a white chimney, barely standing in the
middle of the ruins of their dreams. The mural was called Beauty Among the Ashes and it
suddenly became the sole symbol of hope for the community who had not even begun to pick up
the pieces of their destroyed worlds. The media seized upon the story, and before anyone
realized it, Beauty Among the Ashes was a worldwide rallying cry for the town of Paradise.
Hope existed. Even with such a fresh wound, the town, and the world beyond could see that
there was hope on the horizon.
