Among the rubble and debris that had filled the space where an Altadena home once stood, firefighters were able to find a small symbol of family and love that meant everything to the Desantis family.
Firefighters discovered the wedding ring belonging to Victoria Desantis, whose home burned in the Eaton fire. Desantis, who had lived in Altadena for 18 years, accidentally left her wedding ring and wedding ring behind during the evacuation order.
“I took all my rings off because it was really dry,” Desantis said. “I kept putting hand lotion on and my rings were starting to slip off and I was like, ‘I don’t need to look for this if the power goes out.’ I’ll just place it by the front door with my keys so I can pick it up on the way out.’
Unfortunately, during the chaos of the evacuation as the flames closed in on her neighborhood, she didn’t collect her rings on the way out. Desantis said she asked firefighters if they could help her find her wedding rings.
“They’re like hands and knees digging through the ashes, and one of the guys said, ‘I found a ring, but it’s not gold,’ and I said, ‘Oh my God, this is my wedding ring,'” Desantis said. “I could never believe this little thing was found among the ashes and debris.”
Two Altadena neighbors were among hundreds of families who lost their homes and attended a community meeting in Pasadena on Sunday. Niko Clemmons reports for NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on January 12, 2025.
The Altadena resident said her family is still searching for her mother’s wedding ring, which she says is still in the rubble.
She said finding the wedding ring was a symbol of her family.
“It’s our love,” Desantis said. “We lost everything. But we are for each other.
