The Burning of the Burrow was a skirmish of the Second Wizarding War that occurred on 25 December, 1996 outside the Weasley family home on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole. Planning to lure Harry Potter out of his safe house and capture him, the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow on Christmas Day. While they succeeded in drawing Harry out into the open, they failed to capture him as several members of the Order of the Phoenix came to his aid. While all of the Burrow's inhabitants were outside (except the family ghoul) the Death Eaters burned the Burrow to the ground after failing to capture Harry Potter.