by Mary Spiller
December 28, 2024
Steven Weatherford saved his father, aunt, and brother from the fire.
Steven Weatherford, a 37-year-old man, was killed in an Oakland Fire after he saved his family from a house fire on Christmas morning. He passed away after his heroic act when he stayed inside the burning building to search for an engagement ring he wanted to give to his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve.
According to Fox 2, local authorities explained that when the fire broke out in the home, Weatherford managed to rescue his father, aunt, and brother from the home. Instead of exiting with them, he went back inside to try and retrieve an engagement ring from a safe. He had recently purchased the ring to propose to his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve.
According to Michael Hunt, a member of the Oakland Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched after being notified about a house fire in the 3500 block of Oak Knoll Blvd., early in the morning around 6:15. After containing the blaze, Hunt reported firefighters discovered Weatherford unconscious within the home.
Weatherford was nicknamed “gummy bear” by his friends and family, as he was known for his loving personality.
Weatherford’s girlfriend, LaShante Mayo, said after the fire, “Steve was truly the best person you could ever meet. He loved his family, his friends, and everybody so much. He died trying to get them out of the house.”
“He was going to propose, yeah. I didn’t know, they told me this morning…I had given up on love until I had met him,” Mayo added.
Following being discovered unconscious, fire officials suggested that his cause of death was likely smoke inhalation.
At the time of the fire, Weatherford was in Oakland at his family home to celebrate Christmas.
Eunice Smith, Weatherford’s aunt, said “This is a yearly celebration. And when I say yearly, I mean going on for 40, 50 years. It’s not one of those things where it’s every other year.”
The cause of the fire has not been officially declared but Hunt said that it appears to be accidental.
The fellow residents of the Oakland neighborhood — the Oak Knolls-Golf Links — have created a GoFundMe campaign to help the Weatherford family get through this trying time. It has already raised $23,146 of its $30,000 goal.
RELATED CONTENT: Colorado Man’s iPhone Vendetta Leads to Fatal Blaze