The house that was gutted by a fire and explosion in southern New Hampshire earlier this week was the home of two teachers, according to the Nashua Teachers' Union.
The teachers' union told NBC10 Boston that it's holding a donation drive and collection, and has already raised over $10,000 for John and Laura Finocchiaro. The two teachers are husband and wife, and both teach in Nashua, according to the union.
John teaches automotive at Nashua North High School, while Laura is a reading interventionist and teacher at Elm Street Middle School, according to NTU.
The incident unfolded on Gilson Road in Brookline, New Hampshire. Footage from the scene showed smoke rising from a completely gutted building.
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No one was home or near when the blast went off around 1 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.
The Brookline Fire Department initially thought the incident could be a gas explosion, but later determined that was not gas related.
The family that lived there on Gilson Road is now displaced.
"We did have a heavy fire, practically a fully involved house on arrival, which stretched several lines," noted Brookline Fire Department Lieutenant Meghan Ricke.
"We are so grateful that John, Laura and their two sons are safe," President of the Nashua Teachers' Union Adam Marcoux said. "After such a devastating loss, It is so heartwarming so see such an outstanding show of support to two valued members of the community. They have both given so much support to their students and colleagues over the years, I'm glad we can all be their to support them as they try to move forward."
Firefighters worked all afternoon and into the evening Wednesday to stop the flames from spreading to the woods and over to David Lawrence's home next door.
"You just see the fire go and you wonder, 'OK, what's going to happen?'" he said.
Lawrence said he was unaware of what was going on until a police officer knocked on his door and urged him and his family to get out.
"I think the firefighters did a great job to contain it to where it was," said Lawrence.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
