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 bro
ke 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. ...read more read less
