Man proposes to girlfriend after finding engagement ring in ashes of couple’s home destroyed by LA fires

A California man stunned his girlfriend with an impromptu proposal after discovering the engagement ring he thought he’d lost in the Los Angeles wildfires.

Brian McShea and Stephanie Raynor visited the charred remains of their Altadena home to see if anything had survived the flames of the Eaton Fire. The now groom-to-be, secretly was determined to find the ring he had hidden in a desk drawer and suggested they sift through the rubble where it once stood.

“I was thinking, ‘Well, maybe the stone can survive and maybe we’ll find the little stone,’” McShea said. “I thought the ring was going to completely disintegrate.” The Eaton Fire, part of a series of devastating wildfires across Los Angeles County earlier this month, burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed over 16,000 structures, and claimed at least 28 lives.

The couple had fled their home on January 7, shortly before the fire razed it to ground. And as McShea searched, he admitted he didn’t have high hopes of finding anything intact. He said: “So we’re digging around where my desk is, again just looking for a stone — man, I really didn’t have a lot of hope."

“But you just brush away some rubble and there’s a little ring, and you pick that up and it’s actually a washer to something, and that happened like four times, and then you pick it up, and there’s a little diamond.”

The incredible discovery changed McShea’s plans. Though he’d intended to propose sometime in the future, he couldn’t wait and got down on one knee right there among the ruins of their home. “And I was on my knees and I was like, ‘Hey, will you marry me?’” McShea said. “And I’m in complete PPE, zipped up with the white hood and everything.”

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Raynor added about the moment: “And I’m crying.” The couple hasn’t set a wedding date yet but plans to stay in the area and rebuild their lives together. “We’re really hoping that Los Angeles can support Altadena in its rebuild effort for the next couple years and we’re able to return because this community is just so special,” McShea said.

On Sunday, a slow-moving rainstorm system settled over Southern California, bringing a reprieve from a lengthy dry spell but also the risk of mudslides in areas scarred by this month’s wildfires. The showers continued into Monday, with light rain across the region and intermittent bursts of heavy downfalls.

The rain could reduce fire risks and help vegetation parched by the driest start to a rainy season on record in Los Angeles. It is hoped the wet weather may bring relief to the firefights, but it could also bring flash floods and mudslides. Although forecasts show that the risk is relatively low, local officials are taking the warnings seriously.

Image: Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images)

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, who has faced criticism for her handling of the crisis, issued an emergency order earlier this week, mandating that city crews clear out vegetation and reinforce roads ahead of the rainfall.