By Joyce Tsai
The Lowell Sun
TEWKSBURY, Mass. — The family of an off-duty firefighter, who helped to alert a family that their Sullivan Parkway home had caught fire Sunday morning, has started a fund to help victims of the fire get back on their feet.
Bill Gosse, who is a Tewksbury firefighter, lives across the street from Paul and Kelly Costello and their two elementary-school-age children, Julian and Ethan. Gosse awakened to the sound of explosions, and he was able to wake up the Costello family in time so they could escape the home safely.
Yet, so much was destroyed of the home and the family’s two cars, which totaled $450,000, and they’ll have to look for a new home, cars, and will have to rebuild their lives.
For that reason, Gosse’s wife Shannon has started a fund to help the family.
“They lost everything,” she said.
All the family was able to save was a bit of jewelry, but even the family’s wedding and other family photos were lost in the blaze.
They escaped the home with “what they had on their backs,” she said.
Donations can made in person at the Tewksbury Federal Credit Union to the Costello Family Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Costello Family Fund and can also be sent to: Tewksbury Credit Union, 725 Main St., Tewksbury, MA 01876. For more information, call the bank at 978-851-9750.
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