A Bible lost over 20 years ago following Hurricane Ivan blasting western Pennsylvania is being reunited with the owner after it was discovered in quite the strange place.
The Oakdale Hose Company stated Wednesday in a Facebook post that one of their firefighters found something that wasn’t his, locating the unrecognizable item while he was sorting through his bunker to confirm he had what he needed. (RELATED: Blizzard Generates One Of Craziest Scenes You’ll Ever See In Sports)
The firefighter discovered a small green change purse, which the chief eventually opened in an attempt to track down identification or some kind of information that would lead them to the owner. Instead, he discovered a small pocket Bible that featured an inscription and a date that read May 12, 1997.
This led to the chief’s wife to go searching on the internet, which resulted in them finding Amanda Clotz, a former resident of Oakdale. After the chief made contact with Clotz, she was able to identify the Bible as hers.
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Like a father figure to her, Clotz told the Oakdale Hose Company her uncle was the one who gave her the Bible, doing so at a much-needed time in her life. In 2004, however, she lost the Bible when Hurricane Ivan rolled through the Pittsburgh area. Somehow, the prized possession survived undamaged with its inscription in great condition, while also having no outside marks, according to the company.
Clotz said the only thing she can think of regarding how the Bible possibly got to the firehouse was due to it being beside her house at the time, per CBS News.
Clotz made an offer to pay for the shipping in order for them to mail it to her, but the chief is making sure that she gets back the Bible free of charge, the Oakdale Hose Company said.
As for how the Bible made it to the firehouse, well, that’s still a mystery.