Latest news with #EdmondFireCrew#5
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Stillwater families try to find something to salvage in fire-ravaged homes
STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – The City of Stillwater said more than 75 homes were destroyed during Friday's wildfire outbreak. Many of them were damaged in the connecting neighborhoods of Crosswinds and Pecan Hill. 'We sifted through things and everything that we found is damaged,' said Gayla Tierney, a homeowner who lost her home of five years. She and her husband, Rick, went by their home on Monday for the final time. They made a promise to never go back. 'Hopefully we'll be able to find (a new home) quickly and move forward,' said Tierney. A few doors down the street, the Cuellar family said it planned to rebuild their two-story home which was nothing but a pile of bricks now.'I'm grateful that the most important things were out of the house already,' said Jacob Cuellar, talking about his wife and two children. 'But to look back and see all of your life possessions are right there.' Cuellar is a teacher and coach at Stillwater Junior High. He was emotional when talking about mementos that were now among the ashes of his home.'My team pictures of all the teams that I've coach that they were in there,' said Cuellar. 'Birthday presents from like my parents, they're gone.' Luther family saved by Edmond Fire Crew #5 His father died in 2020. The gifts he gave Cuellar were irreplaceable. Both families evacuated and watched their homes that were swallowed by flames through their security cameras. The city opened the Stillwater Armory over the weekend. It has been used as a drop off and pick up location for donations for families impacted by the fires.'Many of these families are our friends,' said Brad Moore, Stillwater City Manager. 'I'm trying not to get emotional. These families are super close.' He said the donations were what made Stillwater Strong. He said it was the community's way of helping families who were coping with a massive loss. Some of the families KFOR spoke to said they have been able to find housing using AirBnB locations but will be displaced for several weeks in the coming months due to already planned events in Stillwater. Many of the AirBnB reservations have already been secured for Cross Canadian Ragweed concerts in April and baseball weekends and graduations at Oklahoma State University in May. The impacted families said they would have to find a solution for those said his home could be replaced but it was what happened inside the crumbled walls of his home that were priceless.'That's probably the hardest part. The memories,' said Cuellar. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Luther family saved by Edmond Fire Crew #5
LUTHER, Okla. (KFOR) – One of the many stories rising from the ashes after Friday's fires was one of heroics from an Edmond Fire crew who fought back flames to save a Luther family's lives. 'I don't know if we would even be here if it wasn't for them,' said Heather Collins. The fires that broke out Friday near Northwest Luther spread fast. The Collins said that they were waiting at home for their daughter Riley to get back when the flames inched closer. Riley said she was on the phone with her parents, rushing home for Spring Break from OU. 'As soon as I got here, things just started catching fire,' said Riley. 'My two littles were out of town, and I said don't come home because you can't come into town,' said Heather. Just then, Edmond Fire trucks pulled into their driveway and parked there. 'They were right at the gate when the fire was crossing the road. So we thought, yeah, I think it's going to be okay,' said Heather. 'And then all of a sudden, it just flared up. And they were in our front yard.' Cellphone footage taken by the Collins' showed an Edmond Fire truck on their front lawn spraying water as flames surrounded the vehicle. Another video taken moments later by them showed a firefighter right outside of their window spraying out what hot spots remained. The Collins yard was burned almost everywhere. Their dog cages in the yard were nearly melted. They said the pets were in the garage and safe. A porta potty outside was melted, and several other areas were hit. But their home was untouched, and so was their barn. 'If it wasn't for Edmond Fire Crew #5, I don't know if we would've survived,' said Richard. 'At one point, we had embers blowing into the house, the front door.' Several properties in northwest Luther were destroyed. 'Edmond Fire saved our lives,' said Richard. 'Big, big shoutout to them,' said Heather. Crew members from all around the metro and the state came into Luther to help fight the flames. Many people have been thanking them for all the hard work they did Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
