Community Rallies Around Couple After Devastating Wildfire Destroys Home

A local couple is finding strength in community support after losing their home in a recent wildfire that swept through the Nottingham neighborhood.

Kel Pickens, 75, and Carolyn West Meyer, 72, are sorting through the remains of their house with help from law enforcement crews and volunteers who are carefully sifting through debris to recover valuables.

"They're finding coins. We had some silver coins, you know, Kennedy halves and silver dollars, things like that that are showing up in the rubble as they sift," Pickens said, pointing to crews working in what was once the garage of their home.

The couple recounts the chaotic evacuation that began when West Meyer was at a hair appointment and received urgent news.

"The hairdresser looked at me and said, 'What are you doing?' And I said, 'What?' And she said, 'You're supposed to be evacuating Nottingham,'" West Meyer recalls.

She rushed home to gather what she could while Pickens, who was at a massage appointment, remained unaware of the danger. A police officer helped West Meyer collect computers and their cat before she joined the long line of evacuating vehicles.

"I'm texting him, 'Meet me at the library. You can't go home,'" West Meyer says of her attempts to reach her husband.

Pickens describes finishing his massage to discover the town filled with smoke. "First thing I did was call her and say, 'Where are you? Where are you?'" The couple reunited at the library before finding temporary shelter.

Unable to sleep due to anxiety, they drove to their property at 1:30 a.m. to discover their home reduced to smoldering ruins.

"We just cried for a while," West Meyer said. "It was just surreal. It was hard to believe. And it was like, 'Oh, I guess we're just cut loose now. We're kind of drifting with nothing.'"

The couple's storm shelter, built above ground for accessibility as they age, survived intact and now holds the few possessions they've recovered from the property.

Among the most devastating losses are irreplaceable items like a collection of reel-to-reel recordings from radio shows the couple produced over many years. Fortunately, these had been digitized before the fire.

"Digitize now," Pickens advises emphatically. "That's what I would say is my advice."

The couple's 911 S Porsche, high-end road bicycles, and countless other possessions were destroyed in the intense heat that melted metal and glass throughout the property.

Even a "fireproof" safe box containing $5,000 in twenty-dollar bills failed to protect its contents, leaving only charred remains of the currency.

Despite these losses, the couple maintains a remarkable sense of humor about their situation.

"I would always say to Kel around the house, this place is so cluttered. I just hate clutter," West Meyer says with a smile. "Well, that took care of the clutter."

Pickens adds, "I was always bothering her to get newer furniture eventually. And she would say, 'No, no, no. The furniture we have is just fine.' Well, we're both going to get what we want eventually. The clutter's gone, and eventually we'll have new furniture."

The couple emphasizes that their most important possessions – each other and their pets – survived the disaster.

"If we hadn't gotten them out, I think you would have had to bury me because they are so important to us," West Meyer says of their dog Beau and their cat Mandy.

The community's response has been overwhelming, with strangers and businesses offering support in various forms.

"Stillwater people have been very kind," Pickens said. While at a pharmacy trying to replace lost prescriptions, a stranger from Ponca City approached them.

"A man who's from Ponca City, who happened to be a stranger, just walks up and stuffs a lot of bills in your hand," Pickens recalls. When they protested, the man simply asked them to "pay it forward" someday. They promised they would.

A message from Visit Stillwater

Visit Stillwater has launched a dedicated Stillwater Strong, Relief landing page to centralize information and promote ongoing efforts supporting residents and first responders impacted by recent wildfires. This resource highlights upcoming fundraisers, benefit events, donation drives, and available services for those impacted by the wildfires.

Current initiatives include the Stillwater Strong T-shirt fundraiser. Exclusive shirts are available for purchase through Chris’ University Spirit, with proceeds benefiting wildfire victims and the broader Stillwater community.

Local businesses have offered discounts and free services to the couple. The Hideaway pizza restaurant provided a significant discount on their meal, and a coffee shop employee gave them free coffee after hearing about their situation.

Friends, family, and even distant acquaintances have offered accommodations. West Meyer's cousin, a Serta mattress salesman, is providing them with a free California king mattress.

"Come to my cabin at Grand Lake and come to Eureka Springs and you can stay in my place," Pickens says, listing some of the offers they've received. Others have invited them to homes in Taos, Lawrence, Kansas, and Fort Lauderdale.

The couple notes the fire's path seemed random, destroying homes regardless of surrounding vegetation.

"Whether you had trees or no trees, you still burned," Pickens observes about the wildfire's unpredictable nature.

Despite everything, the couple remains determined to rebuild on their property.

"We will rebuild," West Meyer said confidently. "I like to say we're gonna rise from the ashes."