Fire Victim Goes Viral With Stunning Performance in Front of His Destroyed Home
The Stillwater, OK., resident stood in front of his still-smoldering home that burned down due to the ravaging wildfires in the area and proceeded to play the hymn while his wife, Brittany, filmed it.
The McKinley's are among the dozens and dozens of families who evacuated their homes as wildfires approached the area. They grabbed their most valuable possessions and left to find shelter. When they returned, they found their entire home destroyed.
McKinley said he and his wife belong to a Celtic band and usually perform peppier tunes on St. Patrick's Day. But when he found his home reduced to rubble, McKinley said the appropriate way to honor the home was to break out the bagpipes and play "Amazing Grace."
McKinley uploaded the video on Facebook, where it has garnered more than 600,000 views. He said his bagpipes were one of the first things he grabbed as he gathered his belongings during the emergency evacuation. McKinley said his family and dogs are doing okay, and that it was important for him to grab his instrument because music is the most important thing to him behind his family.
During an interview with ABC News, Brittney shared why she was compelled to film her husband's performance.
"Because I know that we are going to rebuild there. That's our home. And I wanted to have a before-and-after," she explained. "We were just talking that when we do finish we want to have a big party. We want to have all the music, all the people over. It's just something to document for ourselves, more than anything, and it just went crazy."The region remains under a fire threat that sparked and spread over the weekend. At least 74 homes were destroyed in the Stillwater area. According to ABC News, parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas face a critical threat of fire danger, with gusts up to 45 miles per hour and very low humidity as the main culprits.
At least four people are dead and more than 140 are injured due to the wildfires, and more than 400 structures have suffered damage statewide.
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