Originally published on 1/16/25

As the fires in Los Angeles County, California, continue to rage on as of publication, many of those impacted find themselves looking for inspiration amid devastation—finding marital hope in the most unexpected ways. Several people throughout the Altadena area—horifically impacted by the ongoing Eaton Fire—have been finding their lost wedding rings amidst the rubble of their homes. We have their inspiring stories—complete with heartwarming videos—below. 

Chien Yu—A firefighter who lost his own Altadena home in the Eaton Fire

As he was braving the flames alongside his fellow firefighters, Chien Yu was simultaneously losing his Altadena home to the Eaton Fire. 

“We’d go to a street and put out a fire, but you walk to the backyard, and there’s like three to four more houses on fire on the other side of the street,” Chien said of his experience battling the Eaton blaze, which has burned almost 15,000 acres and is 55 percent contained as of publication. “There’s no words. It’s just crazy what everyone in the neighborhood [has] gone through.” 

Chien, along with his wife and two children, were evacuated the day he began working to diminish the flames. A few days later, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a few extra pairs of socks and underwear, the family learned that their house was no longer there and neither was their neighborhood or school. 

“When you’re trying to go help fight fires, and it’s actually your home, it’s unbelievable,” he said before assuring people that “everyone on our street, we’re coming back. We’re not giving up.” 

When Chien did return to his home, he was greeted by an unexpected surprise: his wedding ring. 

The heartwarming moment when the firefighter found his ring amid the rubble was caught on camera. Chien—elated and relieved—was smiling from ear to ear, happy to learn that despite losing everything, he still had something that truly mattered. 

“We have a fighting spirit in us, and we have hope and faith that it will be okay,” Chien’s wife Kim said. “We will rebuild Altadena.” 

You can watch the video of Chien finding his wedding ring below: 

https://www.tiktok.com/@abc7la/video/7460249854271393070

Victoria Desantis—A woman who ‘lost everything’ in the Los Angeles foothills found hope

The Desantis family—who have called Altadena home for almost two decades—are also among those who lost everything in the Eaton Fire. Similar to the Yu’s, the Desantis family was evacuated just days before their home was destroyed. And just like Chien, Victoria Desantis accidentally left her wedding ring behind. 

“I took off all of my rings because it was so dry,” she explained to NBC4 Los Angeles. “I just kept putting hand lotion on and my rings were starting to slide off and I thought, ‘I don’t need to look for that if the power goes off. I’ll just set it by the front door with my keys so I can grab it on the way out.’”

Upon her sudden evacuation, though, Desantis soon learned that she left her wedding ring at a home that would soon become a pile of ash and dust.

Days later, Desantis returned to her home—along with several firefighters—with the hopes of finding the ring, which she said “was a needle in a haystack.” 

Even so, within all the rubble, somehow, the ring survived. 

“It made my heart happy,” Desantis said. “Just for a moment, knowing I’ve lost everything. I left with two pairs of jeans and two sweaters and everything, all of my childhood memories, all of my children’s childhood memories, everything is gone. There’s not one thing saved, but I have my ring.”

“I’m just so happy I found it.”

Following the discovery, Desantis sent a picture to her husband, telling him, “Now you’re definitely stuck with me. It’s like you thought you were gonna get out of this with no ring. He’s like, ‘No, you’re definitely stuck with me.’”

“We’re all, like, trying to find humor in this. You know, it’s just those light moments that you have to have because behind you is literally a house on fire. We’re safe. We’re still here. Nothing else mattered. We’re together. Everything else is stuff. We’re okay.”

You can see the heartwarming photos of Desantis discovering her ring below!

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/life/relationships/eaton-fire-survivors-find-wedding-rings-in-house-rubble-viral-videos