[qam1]

It was a bad day. On land nothing larger than a house cat survived. I suspect all the surviving animals were burrow dwellers,

Larger than a house cat, not a burrow dweller

Was at the supposed ground Zero, apparently had an OK day.

[null and void]

Correct! But their eggs are buried in a pile of rotting vegetation, an oxygen depleted environment insulated from the surface effects and due to the dampness, relatively fire resistant.

As long as some of the eggs survive, the species survives.

Good catch, I’m glad you’re thinking through the implications and spotting possible errors!