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Tinker employees affected by fire, couple shares story

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  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Brandice J. Armstrong
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  It was a dreary and overcast morning. Large, dark clouds loomed over the Midwest City neighborhood. Floyd Craft, 547th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron director, and his wife, Meg Miller, sat in a truck in their driveway, facing what was left of their home.

The April 9 wildfires devastated their 2,000-square-foot brick ranch. All that remained of their one-story home was rubble.

"It's gone, what can you do?" Ms. Miller asked. "You can't do anything."

The day of the fire was seemingly like any other Thursday. Mr. Craft was at work in Bldg. 3001. Ms. Miller was at home. Sitting in front of the couple's computer, she downloaded photographs she took that day of cats at an Oklahoma City animal shelter. When finished, she watched television until the cable went out. When that happened, Ms. Miller decided to take a nap. She sat in a recliner and saw something unusual. Her backyard was on fire.

"It was really scary," she said. "It was raging across the yard, just orange.

"The fence [initially] caught fire and it went up into the patio's wood cover. The neighbors were putting it out," she said. "They got it put out on the outside, but I thought maybe it could have gotten up into the attic."

Ms. Miller got up and called 911. It was about 4:30 p.m. She gathered the couple's two cats and dog, putting them in her vehicle. Ms. Miller drove and parked the car down the street. She returned to the house, picked up her purse, cameras and an external hard-drive. While retreating her belongings, Ms. Miller said the house seemed OK; there was no burning smell inside the house.

Meanwhile, at Tinker, another squadron director informed Mr. Craft of the fires in his neighborhood.

Mr. Craft said he left work and tried to get into the sub-division. When that proved impossible, Mr. Craft called his wife. When she finally answered, she told him to meet her at the Midwest City command center.

Once together, the couple went to Mr. Craft's office and watched the firestorm cremate eastern Oklahoma County on television.

Unable to return to their addition, the couple, with their pets, stayed at an area hotel and hoped for the best.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. April 10, Mr. Craft returned to his residence to assess the damage. When he arrived, he found the house the couple shared with their college-age daughter since 2001, in ruins.

"I called [my wife] and said, 'it's gone,'" Mr. Craft said.

Mr. Craft and Ms. Miller later learned firefighters didn't have enough water to extinguish the fire at their house. With so many lines hooked up to the neighborhood's water supply, there wasn't enough to go around. Firefighters also had another mission at hand. They were trying to limit the number of fires in the addition and put their efforts to saving the houses that weren't on fire, Mr. Craft said.

Ms. Miller said in their addition, they counted 12 houses that were lost to the April 9 wildfires.

But, all hope wasn't lost. Later in the morning, when both Mr. Craft and Ms. Miller were at the scene of their former residence, they saw firefighters extinguishing hot spots and asked a favor. Ms. Miller asked them to search for their lost wedding bands. With a little direction and luck both his and her wedding bands were found.

Mr. Craft and Ms. Miller are still staying at a local hotel. They said they hope to move into a rental home soon and intend to rebuild on their lot. In the meantime, their insurance company financially supports them and the generosity of family, friends and Tinker members keeps their spirits up.

"I've received a ton of e-mails from Tinker folks and a basket from some folks in my squadron," Mr. Craft said. "Col. Evan Miller, 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group commander, made arrangements for us to stay at Tinker's visiting quarters."

Col. Miller said despite the unfortunate circumstances, he is sure Mr. Craft and his wife will pull through alright.

"He has a tough road ahead, sifting through debris and salvaging memories, but fortunately, he only lost material goods ... not more important things," the colonel said. "Floyd is a great American and a great member of our team and my faith is again renewed in the spirit of those who serve, both on and off base."
Floyd Craft, 547th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron director, and his wife, Meg Miller, stand in the burned shell of what was their home in Midwest City. After the fires that tore through the area on April 9, several Team Tinker members were affected. The base continues to support those victims by making available food, lodging and loan items along with other services.