Aftermath of what Michelle Buchan describes as “the “worst nights of her life,” when her Langley City condo was ravaged by fire July 17, had taken a turn for the worse.
Her ground-floor unit Madison Place – one of 49 in the 56 Avenue building – appeared to be ransacked after she was evacuated for safety reasons.
Buchan was heartbroken to discover her parent’s wedding rings missing when allowed inside her place to round up salvageable belongings.
“After the initial shock of seeing my things all ruined I noticed some odd things. Purses that were on the top shelf of my bedroom closet were in my living room. Socks from my top dresser drawer were strewn on my bed. Then I started to notice a few missing things and realized someone had broken in,” Buchan explained.
“How can someone be so cruel and low to hit someone like this when they’ve already lost everything? They took the two most sentimental items there were.”
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Buchan’s father died three years ago.
She was saving his wedding ring, along with her mother’s golden anniversary band, to give as heirlooms to her children when they married.
“Both [of the rings] meant more to my family than anything in the condo,” Buchan said, noting their place for years had been in the nightstand beside her bed.
A call out on social media Aug. 8 coincided with the return of the hopeful heirloms.
A Facebook post Buchan wrote on Saturday, detailing the alleged theft, saw more than 140 shares online.
READ MORE: Fire guts Langley City apartment building
Buchan believes it led to the recovery of her parent’s rings – which were found in a living room cabinet she had previously scoured for the missing jewelry.
“It’s upsetting that people did get in and there are still things they took that make me sad but I can’t change it so I need to move forward. This is my clean slate, new start in life – so I’m gonna take it and make the most of it,” Buchan told the Advance Times.
Still missing is the tenant’s iPod and Alexa Echo Dot smart speaker, among other items.
“I have lost everything due to smoke and water damage,” the tenant recounted.
“Thankfully, I have insurance.”
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On July 17th the condo building I lived in caught fire. Was the worst night of my life… Meelah was…
Posted by Michelle Buchan on Saturday, August 8, 2020
