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The fire began at 45 Chace Hill Road in Sterling just before 3:30 a.m. Crews were delayed in reaching the scene because of poor cell phone reception in the area, WCVB reported. But when they arrived, they did so in force. Fire departments from multiple cities — Leominster, Clinton, and West Boylston — joined in the fight to douse the flames, and within an hour, they were out, Sterling firefighters said.
The family of four and their dog escaped without injury, but the home — and everything inside — was destroyed. Flames severely damaged the cars in the driveway as well.
"Matt St. Thomas grew up in this house and had been living there with his family. Now Matt and his wife, Karen, and their children, son Matt and daughter Emily, have no place to call home," a GoFundMe for the family said.
The fundraiser hopes to generate $15,000 to help the family find temporary shelter, transportation, food, and seed money to help them rebuild their lives, it says. It has raised more than $6,500 as of Tuesday afternoon.
A family member posted the fire comes at an especially cruel time as they are grieving the loss of their mother and grandmother.
Matt works at Ranor, Inc in Westminster, MA. Karen works at Roosevelt Elementary School at Worcester Public Schools in special education. Their daughter Emily, graduated Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School with a focus on health and Endicott College with degree in education. Emily is now pursing a Master's degree in speech pathology at Regis College. Their 24-year-old son Matt works as a mason at Stillman Landscape Design and Installation. He is an avid dirt bike racer who lost two of his bikes and two of his friend's bikes in the fire.
Click here for more information on the GoFundMe.
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