Husband Finds Charred Rings After Home Burns to Ground, Proposes to Wife All Over Again
In 2016, a series of wildfires swept across California, devastating over 500,000 acres of land. One of the areas that the conflagration nearly consumed was San Diego, the hometown of the SoCal rock band Switchfoot.
Lead singer Jon Foreman chronicled the experience of having to flee in the song “If the House Burns Down Tonight.” He later blogged about the track saying, “Compared to the ones you love, what is ownership? What is property?
“Or maybe the real question is who — who would you risk your life for? … In the crucible of the fire, it becomes crystal clear: you let the rest burn.”
Ishu and Laura Rao of Goleta, California, know that truth full well. On July 6, a fast-moving wildfire broke out in their area.
Dubbed the Holiday Fire, it raced along the northern edge of the town. It didn’t stay in unpopulated areas either.
The Ventura County Star stated that the fire consumed almost 30 structures. “Thirteen single-family homes were destroyed, three were damaged, and 15 buildings, including barns, workshops and sheds, were destroyed,” reporter Gretchen Wenner wrote.
One of the destroyed homes belonged to the Raos. When a Santa Barbara County Fire Department crew escorted them back to their property, all that remained was a black patch with a scorched foundation punctuated by protruding pipes.
Ishu and Laura hadn’t returned merely to survey the damage. They were also looking for something.
See, Laura has a habit of taking off her wedding rings at night. But when a fire comes roaring up the ridge, seeking that which it may devour, the only things you think of grabbing are the ones you love.
That’s exactly what the couple did. They scooped up their pets and Ishu’s two daughters and got out of Dodge.
But Ishu wanted to see if the fire had left those rings behind. And after locating where the kitchen sink once stood and sifting through some ashes, he discovered the charred rings.
What the husband of eight months did next has warmed hearts the world over: He got down on one knee and asked Laura to marry him all over again.
#HolidayFire– Having lost their Fairview Ave home of 3 years Friday night, Ishu and Laura Rao returned w Santa Barbara Co Fire to let Laura search for her wedding ring. She found the damaged Tiffany ring & Ishu promptly dropped to a knee and asked her to marry him again. pic.twitter.com/GVUgO8dgTJ
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) July 8, 2018
“She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he explained to the Associated Press. “She’s the glue in our family, and I adore her to pieces, so if I can put a smile on her face I’m going to do it.”
The moment was captured by Mike Eliason, the fire department’s spokesman who once served as a newspaper photographer. “I grabbed my iPhone,” he said.
The proposal did exactly what Ishu intended. Laura smiled and sobbed at his show of affection.
“It put everything into perspective,” she said. “It took all the pain away and reminded me of what matters in life: the people around you.”
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