He planned to propose to his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve. But he died trying to save the ring in a Christmas Day fire

A 37-year-old man who saved his family on Christmas morning when he woke them up to a fire in their Oakland home died after he lost consciousness while searching for an engagement ring.

Family members said Steven Weatherford Jr. planned to propose to his girlfriend next week on New Year’s Eve. But he was so excited, he couldn’t keep it a secret from everyone.

“He showed me a picture of the ring,” said neighbor Denise Robinson, who lived across the street from the Weatherfords for years and watched Steven Weatherford Jr. grow up.

Robinson said he shared the picture when he stopped by to visit because Robinson let the Weathfords use her oven to cook their holiday dinner. He told her he had gotten a new job and was going to propose next week, she said.

But a fire broke out in the home about 6:15 a.m. on Christmas Day, according to the Oakland Fire Department. Family members said Weatherford Jr. alerted the sleeping occupants so they all made it out alive. But he remained in the home to find the ring, relatives said.

His girlfriend spoke to the media outside the home on Christmas Day.

“He was truly the best person you could ever be,” LaShante Mayo told the news station KRON. “He loved his family, his friends and everybody so much. He died trying to get them out of the house. … He’s super funny, beautiful, the kindest soul you could meet.”

Authorities believe Weatherford likely became disoriented by the smoke when he lost consciousness.

Robinson woke up to the flames engulfing the home across the street, saw the fire and learned someone died. She found the family but saw someone was missing.

“I saw that Steven wasn’t there. ... I knew it was him,” she said.

Weatherford Jr., was planning to celebrate the holiday with his family, his uncle Alan Weatherford told The Times in an interview. Though Alan Weatherford was not there, he relayed to The Times what happened Wednesday after speaking with relatives.

Every year, relatives gather at the Weatherford family home for Christmas, he said.

But this year, there was a buzz in the air because of the upcoming proposal. Mayo stopped by the home on Christmas Eve and had dinner with the family, Alan Weatherford said.

She did not stay overnight and Steven Weatherford Jr. planned to see her on Christmas.

But sometime around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Weatherford Jr. and his brother, who were sleeping downstairs, woke up to the smell of smoke, his uncle said. The brothers saw dark smoke coming out of a wall near a TV and then flames erupt from the wall.

Steven Weatherford Jr. ran upstairs to wake up his father and aunt, who were sleeping in separate rooms. In the rush to get out of the home, Steven Weatherford Sr. tripped, injured his leg and crawled out of the burning home.

Alan Weatherford believes his nephew probably inhaled smoke as he ran through the house yelling to wake everyone up.

“Steven had severe asthma, so his lungs were not very good,” Alan Weatherford said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.