Actress Ricki Lake thought photos she lost in the Palisades fire were gone forever, until a local painter bought them and realized what they were.

Patty Scanlon bought a box of vintage inspiration photos from the Pasadena City College flea market for her paintings, but she soon realized there was a familiar face in the photos.

"I'm looking at this woman who I think is really cool and soulful and I thought, 'I think that's Ricki Lake,'" Scanlon said.

It was “Hairspray” actor and iconic '90s talk show host Ricki Lake.

And Scanlon knew, intuitively, she needed to get this box of photos back to her.

"I'm in show business because I'm an actor too, so I went on Facebook and said, ‘Do any of you know how to get in touch with Ricki Lake?’ And I posted a few of the pictures and then, like in t

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