Steven Weatherford Jr., a 37-year-old man from Oakland, tragically passed away in a house fire on Christmas Day while searching for the engagement ring he had planned to use for a New Year’s Eve proposal.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 6:15 a.m. local time on December 25, on Oak Knoll Boulevard. Despite the rapid response of firefighters, Weatherford was found unconscious during the search of the burning home. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Relatives confirmed the details of the incident to local news outlets, FOX affiliate KTVU and KGO, highlighting the devastating loss of a man whose intentions were to create a joyful milestone in his life and that of his girlfriend..
Weatherford was reportedly looking for an engagement ring when he was apparently overcome by the smoke and fire. Family said he was planning on using the ring to propose to his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve.
LaShante Mayo, Weatherford's girlfriend, said her late boyfriend “was truly the best person you could ever meet,” according to KTVU.
“He loved his family, his friends, everybody so much,” added Mayo, who was unaware that he was planning to propose until the day of the fatal blaze.
Weatherford lived in Antioch and was visiting family in Oakland when the fire broke out, according to KTVU.
The home involved in the fire belongs to his father Steven Weatherford Sr., according to a GoFundMe campaign started by the man’s neighbors.
“He was trying to save everybody and make sure everybody was out of the house. He may not have known they all went out the back,” said Weatherford’s aunt, Eunice Smith, according to KGO.
“And my other nephew was calling for him because they were all in the back,” Smith continued, “and they were calling, ‘Steven! Steven! Come out! Come out!’ and they heard him screaming. And he never made it out.”
Michael Hunt of the Oakland Fire Department (OFD) said the fire appears to have been accidental, according to KTVU.
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