This is the heartwarming moment a firefighter who worked a 16-hour shift battling the LA wildfires which saw his own home destroyed finds his wedding ring in the ashes.
Married father-of-two Chien Yu was in the thick of LA’s raging infernos when he discovered his own home had been razed in the disaster leaving his family homeless.
In emotional scenes tearful Chien returned for the first time to the rubble of the house he had lost – identifying where the family’s piano had once stood.
But to his utter amazement, after losing everything, Chien found his lost wedding band among the ashes of his bedroom.
Chien, who had lived in the home for seven years, was being interviewed by CNN‘s Erin Burnett about returning to work after he evacuated with his family.
When asked by Burnett about what his wife was going to say about the return of her ring, Yu beamed: ‘She didn’t know’.
The Yu’s family home is located in Altadena — one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the LA wildfires.
Cal Fire has estimated around 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire as of Monday.
Californian firefighter Chien Yu smiles as he looks at the ring which was found in the rubble of his home in Altadena
Pictured: Firefighter Yu in his uniform with his wife Kim and their two young sons
Pictured: Yu looking at the rubble of his home in the Altadena neighborhood while speaking to CNN
CNN then showed the moment Yu returns to his wife Kim with the ring on his finger. She is visibly shocked and cries ‘We found it!’ as she embraces Yu.
Firefighter Yu had lived at his home for seven years with his wife and two young sons.
When asked about how different it feels to see his own home affected by fire, as someone who deals with it on a daily basis, Yu said: ‘It’s indescribable.
‘When we go to a house fire you try to detach and do what’s best for the homeowner and put their fire out and salvage what we can for them and hopefully some of there stuff makes it. But this is just gone.’
A gofundme page has been set up for the Yu family which has so far raised $197,384 dollars.
A statement on the gofundme page reads: ‘As most of you know, the Yu family lost their home and all of their possessions in the Eaton Fire.
Pictured: Yu hugging his wife Kim after he found her wedding ring in the rubble of their home
Pictured: Yu’s wife Kim and their two sons – a gofundme has now been set up for the family
Pictured: Yu’s colleagues uncover the ring from the rubble of his home
‘When the fire hit and the evacuation order was sent, Pasadena Fire Engineer Chien Yu quickly packed up his family and got them to safety.
‘He then immediately reported to work and began fighting the fire in Pasadena to help try to save as many people and homes as possible.
‘As he worked tirelessly through the night with his fellow Brothers & Sisters, his family’s home and everything they owned were consumed by the inferno.
‘They lost their home, their school, and all their precious memories through the years. All that’s left are ashes.
‘Every donation, no matter the size, will really help them and their community recover from this horrible tragedy.
‘In order to help them with their temporary needs, we are working on getting them some financial support.
‘Any amount is greatly appreciated and we thank you for your support of Chien and his entire family.’