A devastating fire completely destroyed a North Carolina couple's dream house early this month, reducing all their possessions to a pile of ashes. But, despite the heart-breaking tragedy, the couple would have reason to celebrate.



Just a short distance from the smoldering rubble, Sean Matthews went down on one knee and proposed to Kellie Stanley with a princess-cut diamond that survived the ordeal.

You see, Matthews had been planning to propose to Stanley and had already purchased the ring. He was just waiting for the right time to pop the question. Matthews had hidden the ring in a fireproof box, alongside the family Bible.



Matthews was able to find the box amidst the ashes and decided there was no better time to propose.

“We’re going to get through this as a fiancé or more," Matthews told Stanley. "And it’s just a house. It’s our house, but we’ll have another one. So what do you think?"



Stanley answered with an enthusiastic "Yes."

The couple had been enjoying a romantic dinner at a restaurant near of Raleigh when the fire broke out.



The flames and smoke were first noticed by a neighbor, who rushed to the scene and activated a "Ring" doorbell camera to alert the couple.

Stanley answered right away, and was most concerned for their dog, Memphis, who was still in the house. Stanley instructed the neighbor to enter through the garage so the dog could be rescued.



“It definitely puts your life in perspective," Stanley told Inside Edition, "especially at the end of the night when we were driving away from our home with nothing but the clothes on our back and our dog.”

A GoFundMe page has been established to help the couple recover from their losses. See Inside Edition's full report here…

Credits: Screen captures via InsideEdition.com.