Edmonton

Fort McMurray worker trying to reunite found photos with unknown evacuee

A municipal worker in Fort McMurray is trying to track down the rightful owner of some found photos in the wake of the wildfire.

'I knew they obviously had to be important to somebody,' says worker who found photos

The two photos were found stuck together in a gutter in Fort McMurray's Abasand neighbourhood. (Supplied)

A municipal worker in Fort McMurray is trying to track down the owner of some found photos in the wake of the wildfire.

Crystal DaRosa, an employee with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, was walking back to her truck after doing some work in the Abasand neighbourhood when she noticed something sitting in the gutter. Abasand was one of the neighbourhoods hardest hit by the fire two weeks ago, leveling most of the nearby homes.

"I just picked them up. I thought it was just one photo at the time, but they were kind of stuck together."

She did her best to separate the two pictures — one showing a woman and infant sitting on a beach and the other an autumn landscape.

This photo is believed to have been taken at Margaret Bowater Park in Corner Brook, Nfld. (Supplied)

"I bawled my eyes out when I found the pictures," she said. "I knew they obviously had to be important to somebody."

DaRosa took photos of the two pictures and posted them to a Fort McMurray community page on Facebook, where others immediately began sharing the images.

Right away, commenters on Facebook pointed out the landscape shot looked like it had been taken in Corner Brook, Nfld.

'This was taken looking toward the government building,' is written on the back of the landscape shot. (Supplied)

Now, DaRosa is just waiting and hoping to hear from the owner so she can return the pictures.

"I know what it would mean to me if I'd lost everything and I could find at least something that was able to be salvageable," she said. "I just hope that we can find the owners and bring some sort of smile to their face."