A Southern California woman was overwhelmed after firefighters discovered her wedding ring amid the rubble of her home that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire.

Victoria DeSantis, her husband, Marko DeSantis, and their two children, have lived in their Altadena home on the 3200 block of Olive Avenue for 18 years. 

They recalled the fear they felt as the fast-moving fire threatened thousands of homes, forcing many to flee for their safety.

It was around 3 a.m. when they were alerted and began quickly packing up, grabbing any important items they could think of. 

Victoria had removed her wedding rings that day because her hands were dry and the lotion she was using kept making the rings slide off. So she placed her wedding ring and band, along with her mother’s wedding ring, by the front door, making a mental note to grab them before heading out.

Amid the chaos and scramble, they left their home and shortly after, Victoria realized she had forgotten the rings. However, she wasn’t too concerned at first, believing her home would be safe.

“You hold out hope that you’re going to be that one little house that made it,” she said. “You don’t want the neighborhood to be gone.”

The next day, however, she walked back to the property and her heart dropped as she saw only rubble and charred remains where her home once stood. 

She began searching the debris, hoping to find the rings. She found her engagement ring, which had melted in the fire. She then asked nearby firefighters for help finding her wedding band.

“One of the guys, he said, ‘I found a ring, but it isn’t gold,’ and it was my wedding band,” she said of the incredible discovery. “I thought it had melted into a blob of metal, but he found my wedding band intact.”

Photos of the find showed Victoria crying tears of joy as she held up the silver wedding band.

“Shout out to CAL FIRE Riverside,” Marko said. “Thanks for saving our marriage.”

While the couple lost everything else in their home, they’re grateful no one was injured and said they will take it one day at a time as they rebuild their lives. They’re also grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.

“There’s that old quote, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going,’ and I think that’s where we are right now,” Marko said. “We’re going through hell, but we have this wedding ring and we’re going to keep going.”

The CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department posted the lucky find on their Instagram page, saying, “It’s these small moments that bring hope to devastation, and we’re proud of our firefighters for all they are doing to help in LA County.”

A GoFundMe page to help the DeSantis family can be found here.

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Recent wildfires have left a devastating mark on the Los Angeles area, displacing families and exacerbating an already dire housing crisis.

Rents in the region are on the up, with accusations of short-term price gouging by landlords making national headlines. While experts say rents increasing by as much as 20% is unlikely, KTLA 5 consumer reporter David Lazarus noted that the upward trend is undeniable and adds significant stress for displaced residents.

Lazarus spoke with Marco Giacoletti, a housing expert at the University of Southern California, to better understand the crisis.

One potential solution to help with the ongoing housing crisis involves revisiting zoning laws to permit higher-density housing in working-class neighborhoods like Altadena, which was ravaged by the Eaton Fire.

“Rather than putting up single-family residences, we could allow developers to build duplexes and apartments,” Lazarus said.

And while this could increase housing availability, Lazarus says it would undoubtedly “change the character of many neighborhoods,” and would be a tough sell for longtime residents.

“I think it would be highly controversial,” Giacoletti said. “So it’s hard to say whether this is going to happen or not.”

Lazarus pointed out that most major cities globally have adopted higher-density housing to address similar challenges, avoiding long commutes and keeping residents closer to urban centers.

But for residents in Pasadena, Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades, distance from the city center may have been a selling point for laying roots there, not a detriment.

“As with the rest of the world, at some point, L.A. is going to have to perhaps consider these steps, that these neighborhoods, these very homey neighborhoods that we’ve enjoyed for decades now, might not be in step with the times,” he said.

The fires have also renewed calls for a rent freeze in Los Angeles County.

While consumer advocates argue such measures are necessary, Giacoletti warned of potential unintended consequences in the form of landlords taking their properties off the marketplace altogether, further worsening the housing crunch.

For those who lost their homes, rebuilding poses significant hurdles, Lazarus said.

“In Altadena, there’s a number of people who are uninsured. They’re just off the playing field at this point,” Lazarus explained. Even for those with insurance, Laz said, overages and delays could prolong the process for years. “Some estimates say it could take five years or more for many of these residents to rebuild.”

Compounding the difficulty are offers from predatory buyers and lowball settlement offers from insurers. Lazarus says to be very skeptical of any cash offer you might receive.

“If you get such an offer, not saying walk away from it, but get a second opinion first,” Lazarus advised. He emphasized the importance of consulting real estate professionals or other insurers to understand the long-term value of properties.

“The value of the structure, if your house is burned down, is zero,” Lazarus said. “The value of the underlying land can still be profound,” accounting for up to two-thirds of the overall value, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor.

As Los Angeles faces an uncertain future, the path to recovery will require innovative solutions, resilience, and adaptability in the wake of the crisis.

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – More than 22,000 first responders are working to extinguish the deadly Palisades and Eaton wildfires while reacting quickly to new fires that emerge as Santa Ana winds return to Southern California.

Below is the latest information on the major fires and key resources to assist wildfire victims and evacuees.

• Palisades Fire: Acres: 23,713 | Containment: 17% | Structures Lost: 10,000 (est.)
• Eaton Fire: Acres: 14,117 | Containment: 35% | Structures Lost: 7,000 (est.)
• Key Maps: Damage Assessments | Palisades Fire 3D | Eaton Fire 3D

For wildfire victims