Firefighter Proposes to His Girlfriend After Faking Blaze at Their House
Firefighter Zach Steele, 30, needed six smoke machines to pull off the prank.
A California firefighter wanted to prove nothing burns brighter than the love he has for his girlfriend, and he faked a blaze to prove it.
Maddison Ridgik, 30, of Ventura, didn't seem impressed when her firefighter boyfriend, Zach Steele, 30, faked a fire in their attic that included smoke coming out of the windows of their home.
“What is happening? This is not freaking funny,” Ridgik said, according to the bodycam footage shared by SWNS. “Is our house fine?”
But amid her panic, she did manage to crack a smile, and put the ring on her finger.
Steele told InsideEdition.com he had always planned to incorporate a fire engine and his colleagues when he proposed.
Though the idea started as a joke, he decided to go full steam ahead when his captain approved it.
Ahead of a holiday party they had planned at their home last November, Steele planted six remote-operated smoke machines in the attic before going out to pick up last minute groceries.
“Originally I got one smoke machine,” he said. “I went to test it and there was barely any smoke. One was not going to work, so I had to get more smoke machines.”
Turns out, six machines was a few too many. Ridgik and her guests panicked seeing smoke spew out of the attic.
Meanwhile, Steel had gone back to the firehouse instead of the grocery store to get his fellow firefighters ready for a house call.
Another team was already halfway in their home when Steel, in full gear and an oxygen mask, dropped down to one knee to propose.
“I think she saw my face and calmed down, and realized what was going to happen,” he said.
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