Right after discovering an engagement ring in the rubble of a destroyed home, a California man proposed to his girlfriend. This impromptu proposal sprang from the ashes of their Los Angeles home after the LA wildfires demolished it.
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Brian McShea and Stephanie Raynor had to evacuate their home in the Altadena neighborhood on January 7. Just like thousands of other residents had to since the scorching wildfires burned more than 55,000 acres over the last three weeks. Not only that, but the fires have resulted in over two dozen deaths.
Surprise Proposal After Discovering Lost Engagement Ring
The couple managed to survive the Eaton Fire but unfortunately, they lost their entire home. Well, not exactly, as one engagement ring survived the flames. Once it was safe, they returned to the ashes of their home and McShea managed to find his secret engagement ring.
Raynor's boyfriend had been planning a proposal for a while and had kept the ring in his desk drawer. "I was thinking, 'Well, maybe the stone can survive, and maybe we'll find the little stone," McShea said according to ABC7.
Determined to find the jewelry, McShea dug around where his desk was. "I really didn't have a lot of hope," he recalled. "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."
As soon as McShea found the engagement ring, he got down on his knee and asked Raynor one very important question. "I was on my knees and I was like, 'Hey, will you marry me,'" he said. "And I was crying."
After the proposal, the couple revealed the touching moment on Instagram. "Found the ring in the rubble and asked right away. #keeper," the caption wrote. The photo showed the happy couple in protective gear from the wildfire with Raynor showing off her ringed and gloved hand. Another photo shared the moment when McShea got down on one knee to ask her to marry him.
So far, the two don't have a planned wedding date, but they told ABC7 they wanted to remain in Altadena. They have also set up a GoFundMe to raise $50,000 as a fire relief fund. So far, donations have covered over 80% of their goal.
