Wildfire forces evacuations in Luther

Dozens of residents were forced to evacuate after another wildfire ignited near Coffee Creek Road and Triple X Road in Luther. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in neighborhoods that had never faced flames this close before.

One longtime resident, Steve Boatman, who has seen multiple fires in his 11 years living in the area, said this is the first time flames have directly threatened his neighborhood. Boatman evacuated his home in Luther.

“We’ve had fires east of us. We’ve had fires west of us. It’s been close, but we’ve never had one actually in the neighborhood until right now,” Boatman said. “We’ve been fortunate, and hopefully, we can be lucky again. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up—I’m hoping we get lucky today.”

Boatman reports that there are around 23 homes in the Coffee Creek area. Crews continue battling the flames as residents wait for updates on when they can safely return.