Dawn A DaMart and Dr Stanley Jensen spoke about how they lost their home in the Mountain Fire in Southern California, but then made a surprising discovery right when they thought they lost everything. Nov. 13, 2024.
CAMARILLO, Calif. – Over the past week, the Mountain Fire has destroyed homes across Southern California.
One of those homes belonged to Dawn DaMart and Stan Jensen, who were in Minnesota as the wildfire raged through their community.
“We were getting texts from friends and family asking if we were okay, and we had no idea what was happening,” DaMart said.
A house is engulfed in the flames of the Mountain Fire as the wildfire scorches acres in Camarillo Heights, Camarillo, California, on November 6, 2024.
(ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP / Getty Images)
Upon learning about the fire, the couple believed that their home would remain unscathed, as they had worked to keep the brush and other vegetation away from their property.
Unfortunately, the fire showed no mercy as it incinerated the entire home. Jensen cited a firefighter who noted that the fire was a 2,500-degree firestorm with winds up to 100 mph.
“So effectively, when it hit our house – and we have a box eaves composite roof, everything fireproof – but when it hit the house, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, it lit on fire and then burned.’ It destroyed the entire structure within three or four minutes, and then just kept burning until there was nothing left,” he said.
HUNDREDS OF PETS, FARM ANIMALS SAVED BY MOUNTAIN FIRE
Among the losses was a glimmer of hope, as Jensen and DaMart were able to recover one of their family’s most precious items.
DaMart and Jensen.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
A diamond ring passed down from DaMart’s grandmother to her father and then to her had been kept in a safe while she and Jensen were traveling. With the Mountain Fire destroying their home, DaMart worried the ring would be gone forever.
“I was heartbroken that I didn’t think I’d be able to recover the ring,” she said.
But with the help of firefighters, she and Jensen were able to find the safe and the diamond within. DaMart said the gold band had melted into little balls, leaving behind the gemstone.
As of Thursday morning local time, the Mountain Fire has burned over 20,000 acres and is 82% contained, according to CAL Fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.