A fire in California destroyed their home. But after finding a family heirloom in the ashes, this man has faith that they'll rebuild.
The Carr fire in California has already become the seventh most destructive fire in the state’s history. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the wildfire has killed six people, destroyed over 110,000 acres, and burned down 880 homes — and counting.
One of those homes belonged to Jerry Ogle, along with his father and stepmother. “17 years of memories at my Dad and [Christine’s] … house. All gone in a matter of days,” Ogle wrote on Facebook.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time the senior Ogle has had to rebuild. According to Ogle’s GoFundMe page, his father lost his home 25 years ago to a fire. “[He] has worked his way back into a beautiful home which has now been taken from him,” Jerry wrote.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed after losing your home and all of your belongings, but Ogle discovered a miracle in the ashes, which has helped him regain faith that they will rebuild again.
As soon as Ogle and his father arrived at their property to view the destruction, he began to search for his grandmother’s wedding ring, which was a gift from his grandfather.
“My only real hope was that I would miraculously find the diamond in the ash. After about a half hour of searching the area where I knew I left it, I looked to the sky and asked my grandfather for help,” Ogle wrote on Facebook. “Not 30 seconds later I found the box, the same box that it was given to me in. And inside the box amongst the ash, there it was. My grandmothers ring. God is good.”
He ended his post with the hashtag “#WeWillRebuild.”
Ogle has posted that the proceeds to his GoFundMe account will go to other neighbors who did not have any fire insurance for their homes. He wrote, “Your generosity is greatly appreciated to my entire family. At this point I would like to shift the goal to a greater cause. I recently found out that there are others in our neighborhood who may not of had any type of fire coverage for their homes. So for every dollar donated, the all proceeds will go to helping the other homes off of Iron Mountain Road including Sanders Lane and the Keswick area.”
Jerry Ogle did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.
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