After Her Boyfriend Died in the Oakland Fire, This Heartbroken Girlfriend Finds the Unthinkable
The devastating warehouse fire that began on Dec. 2 in Oakland, CA has shocked and saddened millions across the country–but especially the friends and family members of those who perished in the blaze.
That includes people like Saya Tomioka, whose boyfriend, Griffin Maddens, was at the warehouse (known by locals as the Ghost Ship) to attend an electronic music party. Sadly, Maddens was killed, as Tomioka mentioned in her emotional post on Facebook.
In her plea, she discussed the first time the two of them visited Times Square together after seeing The Book of Mormon on Broadway. Tomioka and Maddens had kissed in the street after the show, and by chance, they saw a random photographer capturing the moment. She had only ever seen the photo once, but had always longed to find it again, she wrote, asking her friends to share the status and help her find it.
Essentially, she asked the Internet for a miracle–and, only hours later, she got one.
After her post was shared hundreds of times, it appeared on the newsfeed of New York photographer Arken Avan, who had taken photos in Times Square on June 15, 2015, the date Tomioka mentioned in her post. He decided to look through his hard drives, and at 3 a.m. found the photo in question, posting it on Instagram for the grieving girlfriend to see.
“I hope this beautiful moment in a photo will stay forever in your memory, Saya, for a memory of your love, Griffin Madden,” he wrote.
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Minutes later, she had made his photo her main profile picture. We’re happy that her wish to see it again was granted.
The Oakland warehouse fire claimed the lives of 36 people in all, making it the deadliest fire in the city’s history. About 100 people had gathered for a party sponsored by electronic music label 100% Silk. It took four hours for crews to control the flames.
Over a week later, the official cause of the blaze is still undetermined. Investigations continue.
via APlus.com
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