‘We lost everything we worked toward for 20 years’: Family tries to move on after fire guts Woburn home
The fire, thought to be an arson, remains under investigation.
When a fire tore through a triple-decker home on Sturgis Street in Woburn last week, resident Kathleen Trowbridge said her family lost everything, including their pet cat.But, as the Trowbridges stay with family and try to move on, she said they have received some “amazing” support from the community, and that they’re grateful to have escaped safely.“All we care about is that we’re alive,” Trowbridge said in an interview with Boston.com on Wednesday.The fire at 13 Sturgis St. has been deemed arson. Authorities were called to the scene just after 5 a.m. last Friday, according toThe Boston Globe. The home was said to be a total loss.John Trowbridge, Kathleen’s husband, was the first to get up that morning at the sound of a smoke alarm, she said. He thought maybe someone had burned something while cooking. But then something smelled off, so he woke up Kathleen. They went to the front door.“We opened it and clear white smoke just covered us,” Kathleen Trowbridge said.The couple rushed to get their two kids, John, 16, and Daniella, 7, up. The family escaped the house; unfortunately their cat, who the couple has had since their son was a toddler, died in the blaze. “My son had to go to the emergency room because he was having breathing problems,” Trowbridge said.Photos from the scene show visible flames tearing through the home and billowing smoke.
Early photo of this mornings 3rd Alarm Fire in Woburn. Heavy fire showing. pic.twitter.com/GirWmY4gJr
— Burlington Fire Dept (@BurlingtonMAFD) August 16, 2019
Heavy Fire through the roof at Woburn’s 3rd Alarm Fire. Multiple streams in operation to prevent the fire from extending into nearby exposures. pic.twitter.com/0Acz8jgrBL
— Burlington Fire Dept (@BurlingtonMAFD) August 16, 2019
For Trowbridge, it’s difficult to believe someone would have intentionally set the blaze.
“I can’t get past that,” she said.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing. An officer who answered the phone at the Woburn Police Department said he couldn’t elaborate any further. The day of the fire, Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo had said authorities had identified a person of interest, WCVB reported.
Twelve people lived in the building, Boston 25 News reported. Five are children, including the two Trowbridges. The Woburn School Committee has worked with the local Boys and Girls Club to help with clothing donations and gift cards for other necessities.
“We lost everything we worked toward for 20 years,” Trowbridge said. “Our kids lost everything they hold dear.”
The couple’s teenage son plays baseball, and he lost all of his equipment. Seven-year-old Daniella lost her toys, Trowbridge said, as well as new uniforms for the private school she attends — the uniform company kindly supplied her with new ones.
“We had china from our wedding,” Trowbridge said, noting that she and her husband had just celebrated their 20th anniversary. “It’s all gone.”
Residents were allowed back in the home for half an hour on Tuesday, she said.
“I was able to find a ring my grandmother gave me when I was 10,” she said. “I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
A GoFundMe online crowd-sourcing fundraiser was set up for the family; as of 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, it had raised $9,850 in four days with a goal of $15,000. Another one was set up for the Fan-Fan family, a couple and their three children, that also lived in the home.
The generosity of the community has helped the Trowbridges see the positive in a difficult situation. The money, Trowbridge said, will go toward the first and last month’s rent on a new apartment, plus the security deposit. The rest will go toward furnishings for the new place.
“We’re just seeing how blessed we are,” she said.
