Woman says to-be fiancé died in Christmas house fire searching for ring
A California man planning to propose to his girlfriend on New Year's Eve died in a Christmas Day house fire while searching for the ring.
Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday and later found Steven Weatherford Jr. unconscious inside the home, according to officials with the Oakland Fire Department.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, likely from breathing in smoke, officials said. No other injuries were reported.
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"Steve was truly the best person you could ever meet. He loved his family, his friends, everybody so much. He died trying to get them out of the house," Weatherford's girlfriend, LaShante Mayo, told Fox 2 while standing outside the burnt home.
Authorities said the fire was "accidental," and Weatherford - who was visiting the Oakland home to celebrate the holidays - rescued his father, aunt and brother before returning inside to search for something.
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The family said Weatherford went back to save an engagement ring that was in a safe, according to Fox 2. Weatherford recently purchased the ring for his girlfriend and was planning to propose on New Year's Eve.
"He was going to propose, yeah," Mayo said. "I didn't know, they told me this morning. … I had given up on love until I had met him."
Officials told Fox News Digital on Thursday that to their knowledge, the ring was not recovered after the fire.
The neighborhood created a GoFundMe campaign to help the family with immediate financial needs and memorial expenses. As of Thursday afternoon, it raised nearly $10,000 in donations.
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The fundraiser notes Weatherford's father, who lost his son and home in the fire, is still mourning the recent loss of his wife.
The GoFundMe organizers did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Fox 2 San Fransisco's Aja Seldon, Jesse Gary and Sami Mamou contributed to this story.