Watch: Oklahoma man plays bagpipes outside ruins of home burned in wildfire ‘raining down out of the sky’

STILLWATER, Okla. – Wildfires burning in Oklahoma have destroyed dozens of homes across the state, including the home of the McKinley family in Stillwater. 

Thousands of acres have been burned in Stillwater and surrounding communities. 

Brittany and Scott McKinley had lived in their home for 10 years before a wildfire burned it to the ground last Friday. 

The couple is part of a local Celtic band called the Waxie Dargles. Scott plays the bagpipes, and Brittany is a vocalist. 

A video Brittany filmed of Scott playing ‘Amazing Grace’ on the bagpipes outside the ruins of their home went viral on social media this week. 

‘An absolute firestorm’

Scott said he got a call about the fires while at work on Friday, and that he should get back to the house. When Scott and Brittany got home, they realized the fires were entering their neighborhood. 

“We actually went and fought them,” Scott said. He and Brittany said they and the neighbors gathered buckets and garden houses to try and fight the fires. 

Brittany and Scott said they spent a few hours fighting the fires on the ground and thought they had them put out, but suddenly things changed. 

“Out of the South came an absolute firestorm,” Scott said.  

“It started raining down out of the sky,” Brittany said. “It was like something you see out of a movie.” 

They said ash and embers began falling, the winds picked up, and they knew they had to leave immediately. 

They quickly grabbed their important documents and rounded up some clothing and a toy or two for their two daughters. Scott grabbed his bagpipes, and then they left their home for the last time. 

Brittany said she packed a suitcase for her and Scott but accidentally left it behind, leaving only the clothes on their backs. 

“You know, you always hold out hope whenever you leave, but something deep down told both of us that we were never going to see our house again,” Scott said. 

Returning home

Brittany said she didn’t expect any of the houses in their neighborhood to be left standing when they came back to the house early Saturday morning. 

She said the pattern resembled that of a tornado, where some homes stand untouched while others are completely destroyed. “There was no rhyme or reason,” she said. 

“Our house is the only one in our neighborhood that is completely to the ground,” Brittany said. Other neighbors had a wall left standing or were barely impacted. 

Brittany said they wanted to go see the house alone first, to see how bad the damage was. They hadn’t unpacked the car with their belongings yet, so Scott’s bagpipes were still with him. 

‘Amazing Grace’ 

“We were just standing there looking at it, not saying anything, and Scott turns around and he goes ‘I gotta do something,’” Brittany said. 

That’s when he pulled his bagpipes out of the car, she said. 

He began to play “Amazing Grace” in front of the smoking remains of their home. 

She said she and Scott both knew they wanted to rebuild their home in that same spot at that moment.

BEFORE AND AFTER AERIAL IMAGERY REVEALS SCOPE OF DEADLY OKLAHOMA WILDFIRES

“In my mind, I recorded it, not necessarily for it to go viral, but it was a documentation for us,” Brittany said. 

She said she took the video to serve as a before for a before-and-after of what the home would be again once they rebuilt. 

“I said, ‘Now, when we’re done, you’re going to stand there and do a jig, you’re going to do something happy when we’re finished,'” Brittany said. 

Brittany said she posted the video to Facebook so she’d have it for later on, but they never expected it to go viral. 

‘Outpouring of support’

Brittany said Stillwater is not a stranger to tragedies, but the community always rallies together. 

Scott and Brittany said their community has been nothing but supportive in the days since they lost their home. 

She said an initiative called the “Oklahoma Standard” was born after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The initiative’s goal is to preserve and promote a “culture of caring citizens by encouraging Acts of Service, Honor, and Kindness,” the Oklahoma Standard website said. 

“There’s so much love that’s been given to us, and food, and clothing,” she said. “That is the Oklahoma Standard.” 

The Waxie Dargles created a GoFundMe to help support the McKinleys in their time of need.  Two other GoFundMes were created by other members of the community for the McKinleys. 

The couple said they didn’t expect the immediate response from so many people. 

“We were just taken aback,” Brittany said. 

The McKinleys said they want to make sure the attention they’re receiving from Scott’s viral video also highlights the other members of their community who were also impacted. 

“We want to use the platform for everyone,” Brittany said. 

Ways to support

Scott and Brittany highlighted some other families impacted by the fires in Stillwater and included their GoFundMes for anyone wishing to donate.

To donate to the McKinley family’s GoFundMe fundraisers, click the links below.