After a catastrophic house fire reduced an entire home to ashes, a Champion Safe protected the irreplaceable — and proved why real fire protection matters.
Provo, UT, Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Champion Safe Company (championsafe.com), a premier manufacturer of high-security safes and a proud subsidiary of American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AREB), America's Patriotic Brand, today shares the remarkable story of a Champion safe that survived a catastrophic house fire, preserving irreplaceable family treasures when everything else was lost.
In the middle of the night on December 11, a family woke to the unthinkable. Fire tore through their home, leaving nothing behind. Walls collapsed. Possessions were destroyed. A lifetime of memories disappeared in hours. The dramatic moment when their Champion Safe was finally opened — after sitting through the fire for more than a week — is captured in this compelling video: Watch the Full Recovery Here
Everything was destroyed — except what was inside their Champion safe.
For more than a week and a half, the safe sat inside the burned structure while investigators worked the scene. No one knew what would be left inside — or if anything would survive at all. When the door was finally opened, the moment was captured on video: disbelief, relief, and emotion as contents emerged that should have been lost forever.
Inside were items no insurance policy could ever replace — a grandfather's firearm passed down through generations, personal documents, jewelry, and deeply sentimental possessions. Despite extreme heat, smoke, water from firefighting efforts, and prolonged exposure inside a destroyed home, the contents were largely preserved.
More Than Survival — Proof of Real Fire Protection
This outcome wasn't luck. It was design.
The safe involved was a Champion Medalist 41, an entry-level model with a one-hour fire rating. While that model is no longer in production, its performance under real-world conditions underscores a critical truth: fire protection only matters if it works when everything goes wrong.
Champion safes are engineered to manage heat transfer over time, maintain survivable interior conditions, and resist the compounding effects of smoke and water intrusion. Advanced sealing systems and layered construction are designed not just to perform in laboratory tests, but to hold up when fires reach their most destructive stages.
In this case, the home suffered what investigators described as a near full burn. Yet the Champion Safe protected contents that would have otherwise been reduced to ash.
This is not an isolated incident.
Champion safes have repeatedly survived catastrophic fires, including destructive wildfires in Santa Rosa where entire neighborhoods were lost and many competing products failed outright. These real-world outcomes reinforce why fire ratings, materials, and construction methods matter — and why a safe should never be treated as a commodity.
Security That Doesn't Quit — Even After the Fire
Another critical part of this story happened after the flames were out.
The intense heat melted the safe's locking mechanism, but the door could not be forced open. Multiple non-professional attempts to gain entry failed, even with the exterior compromised. Only a trained safe technician, using specialized tools, was able to access the contents — and only by drilling through secondary security layers designed to resist attack.
That matters.
A real safe doesn't stop protecting its contents just because it's been through a fire. Even in a destroyed home, it continues to secure what's inside until the rightful owner — with professional help — can regain access.
Fire protection and security aren't separate features. In a real safe, they work together.
Standing Behind the Product — and the People
Although Champion did not originally sell this safe to the family, the company will replace the damaged Medalist at no charge.
"Losing a home is devastating, and nothing we make can change that," said Tom Mihalek, CEO of Champion Safe Company. "But when people trust us with the things they can never replace, we take that responsibility seriously. This safe did exactly what it was built to do, and we're proud to stand behind it — and behind this family."
Today, the closest comparable model to the Medalist is the Champion Challenger series. However, Champion emphasizes that every home and business has different risks, contents, and priorities. That's why working with an authorized Champion dealer is critical to selecting the right safe for individual needs.
Why This Story Matters
Fires don't come with warnings. Electrical failures, accidents, wildfires, and storms can change lives overnight. When they do, the difference between total loss and preservation often comes down to one decision made long before disaster strikes.
A safe isn't just about theft prevention. It's about resilience.
It's about protecting family history, business-critical documents, and irreplaceable possessions — when everything else is gone.
Watch the Full Story and Learn More
▶ Watch the full recovery video: youtube.com/watch?v=B2j8gtHC-fk
▶ Find an authorized Champion dealer for a personalized consultation: championsafe.com/dealer-directory
▶ Explore the full Champion Safe lineup: championsafe.com
About Champion Safe Company
Champion Safe Co. has been at the forefront of safe manufacturing for over 25 years, providing high-quality safes engineered for ultimate security and fire protection. Built entirely with 100% American-made, high-strength steel, Champion Safes feature full length double steel doors and are backed by a lifetime warranty. Learn more at championsafe.com
About American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AREB)
American Rebel began as a designer and marketer of branded safes and personal security products and has since grown into a diversified patriotic lifestyle company with offerings in beer, branded safes, apparel, and accessories. With the introduction of American Rebel Light Beer, the company is now making waves in the beverage space.
Learn more at americanrebel.com
Watch the American Rebel Story as told by our CEO Andy Ross.
Contact Information
Locate a Champion Safe Dealer: championsafe.com/dealer-directory
Become a Champion Safe Dealer: championsafe.com/become-a-dealer
Investor Relations: [email protected]
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, strategies, and projections about future events or performance. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "projects," "should," "target," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond our control.
Forward-looking statements in this release may include, without limitation, statements regarding: anticipated benefits from dealer partnerships and retail expansion initiatives; expected revenue growth for fiscal year 2025 and beyond; consumer demand for Champion Safe and American Rebel products; adoption by distributors and retailers; our ability to scale production and strengthen supply chain capabilities; the effectiveness of our sales, marketing, and brand-building strategies; and the Company's plans and expectations regarding its Nasdaq listing status, including the appeal and hearing process related to Nasdaq's delisting determination and any potential transition to the OTC Markets as a contingency. Certain performance metrics, including year-to-date growth percentages and other financial or operating data referenced herein, are based on internal, unaudited information and are subject to change upon completion of the Company's standard financial closing and review procedures.
Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation: (a) the final accounting treatment of transactions and arrangements described in the Company's SEC filings under U.S. GAAP, including valuation determinations, classification between liabilities and equity, and related presentation and disclosure requirements; (b) the possibility that the SEC may review, comment on, delay, or not declare effective any registration statement or other filing (including any contemplated registration statement on Form S-1), or that the Company may be unable to timely file or maintain the effectiveness of registration statements or periodic reports for any reason; (c) the risk that the Company may not be able to meet Nasdaq continued listing requirements in the future (including due to changes in stockholders' equity, market value, minimum bid price (including the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)), corporate governance requirements, or other factors), and the risk of additional compliance actions, trading suspension, or delisting, including in connection with Nasdaq's Staff Delisting Determination dated February 4, 2026; the Company has been subject to monitoring from Nasdaq and has experienced periods where its common stock has traded below the continued listing minimum bid price; although the Company has requested a hearing and filed an appeal, which under Nasdaq rules ordinarily stays any trading suspension or delisting action while the appeal is pending, there can be no assurance that the appeal will be successful, that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel will grant the Company additional time or otherwise allow continued listing, or that the Company will be able to satisfy any conditions that may be imposed; Nasdaq's determination also noted that, because the Company has effected multiple reverse stock splits over the past two years (with a cumulative ratio of 1-for-90,000), the Company may be ineligible for the standard compliance period for a bid price deficiency under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(iv); if the Company is delisted from Nasdaq, it may seek to transition its securities to the OTC Markets, and no assurance can be given regarding the timing, availability, or liquidity of any such market; additionally, Nasdaq recently proposed a new continuing listing requirement (SR-NASDAQ-2026-004) that would require companies listed on the Nasdaq Global or Capital Markets to maintain a Market Value of Listed Securities of at least $5 million, under which a company that falls below this threshold for 30 consecutive business days would be subject to trading suspension and immediate delisting; historically, maintaining such a threshold would be challenging for the Company if these proposed rules were to be implemented and put in place, raising concerns about the potential impact on the longevity of public company listings if it were implemented; (d) if applicable, the risk that conversions of the Company's Series D Convertible Preferred Stock into common stock may not occur as anticipated, may be delayed, may be limited by contractual provisions (including beneficial ownership limitations), regulatory considerations, market conditions, or other factors, and/or may result in greater-than-anticipated dilution; (e) the availability of sufficient authorized and unissued shares of common stock, including the application of equity plan limits, share reservation mechanics, and other corporate, legal, or exchange requirements affecting issuance capacity; (f) the Company's ability to perform its obligations under commercial agreements described in its SEC filings (including any sponsorship arrangements and related registration rights), and the impact of any disputes, enforcement actions, penalties, or additional consideration provisions triggered by non-performance or alleged non-performance; (g) the Company's ability to rely on exemptions from registration for securities issuances described in its SEC filings and the risk of differing interpretations by regulators or third parties; (h) adverse developments in the Company's operating results, liquidity, or access to capital; (i) volatility in the trading price and liquidity of the Company's securities; and (j) general economic, market, regulatory, and competitive conditions.
Additional information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as such filings may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
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