A California man who was allegedly looking for an engagement ring he intended to use for a New Year’s Eve proposal was killed in a terrible house fire on Christmas Day.
Early on December 25, Oakland emergency personnel responded to a fire on the 3500 block of Oak Knoll Boulevard, according to KTVU. While checking the house, firefighters found the victim unconscious.
According to his family, the victim is 37-year-old Steven Weatherford Jr., KTVU and KGO media stations said.
In the midst of the smoke and fire, family members revealed that Weatherford was looking for an engagement ring. Later that week on New Year’s Eve, he planned to pop the question to his girlfriend, LaShante Mayo.
Mayo expressed her sorrow to KTVU, stating that her deceased partner and said
“was truly the best person you could ever meet.”
“He loved his family, his friends, everybody so much,”
At the time of the event, Weatherford, who lived in Antioch, was staying at his father’s house in Oakland. Eunice Smith, his aunt, described the hectic times leading up to his untimely demise.
Smith also said, in the quote of KGO
“He was trying to save everybody, make sure everybody was out of the house. He may not have known they all went out the back,”.
Another relative reportedly called out for him and he struggled inside the home
“They were calling, ‘Steven! Steven! Come out! Come out!’ and they heard him screaming. And he never made it out,”
According to Michael Hunt of the Oakland Fire Department, the fire is believed to have started accidentally. Fundraising efforts through a neighborhood GoFundMe campaign have raised over $16,000 to assist Weatherford’s family with funeral expenses and immediate financial needs.
Weatherford’s family and community continue to mourn the loss of a man remembered for his selflessness and love for others.
