Simi Valley homeowner who lost house in Sandy Fire credits Ring alert with helping save wife

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. () — A Simi Valley homeowner whose house was destroyed in the Sandy Fire says a doorbell camera alert helped save his wife’s life Monday.

Randy and Beth Byle’s home is the only one known to have been destroyed by the Sandy Fire so far. They had lived there for nearly 40 years.

The Sandy Fire, which broke out Monday morning, had burned over 2,100 acres and was 22% contained by Wednesday evening.

In an exclusive interview with News’ Melissa Adan, Randy recounted the harrowing moments after the Sandy Fire ignited.

Randy said he was at work Monday when he received a notification on his phone alerting him to a fire at their home.

He immediately called his wife so she could gather their belongings, take their parrot and evacuate before it was too late.

When Randy got to their house, he said he didn’t know whether his wife had made it out already.

“It was so smoky you couldn’t see through here. It was really bad. That’s why I didn’t know she wasn’t here,” Randy said. “I told the fireman she might be in there, I don’t know. And then I tried calling and I found out she was away.”

“I stayed around for about a half an hour and it was just too smoky. So I finally got out before it got really bad,” Randy added.

The house was already engulfed in flames when he first arrived.

“Oh, it was gone by the time I got here. You could see the flames come through the windows,” said Randy.

When asked what went through his mind at that moment, Randy said his focus was solely on his wife’s safety.

“She’s safe. That’s all I was thinking about. That was the main thing. That’s what I wanted. Again, it’s just stuff,” he said.

It was a sentiment he returned to again and again: “It’s just stuff”.

Randy returned to the property Wednesday to search for one important item that was missing: his wife’s wedding ring.

He spent hours combing through the rubble and was able to recover some jewelry. He said he hopes that after cleaning the items, he will find the ring among them.

Despite the loss of their longtime home, the couple said they remain thankful they were able to escape unharmed.