Bonita Springs teacher loses family home in Golden Gate fire, community steps in to help

GOLDEN GATE, Fla. —

A fire destroyed the Collier County duplex home of a Bonita Springs teacher and her family on Monday afternoon, leaving two families, including six children, with nearly nothing but charred furniture, broken glass, and memories lost to smoke and flames.

It happened in Golden Gate off 46th Terrace Southwest and 20th Court Southwest near Sunshine Boulevard and Golden Gate Parkway.

Rose Jerome, the homeowner and teacher at Oak Creek Charter School in Bonita Springs, was teaching when she received the devastating news.

"I pick up the phone, panicking, and she's like, 'Your house is on fire!' And I'm like, my house is on fire? And all the students just jump from their desks, and they're like, are you okay, Mrs. Jerome? Are you going to go home?" Jerome said.

Jerome rushed from her classroom to find her home in ruins.

"I didn't know if I should cry, if I should scream, if I should yell. Like, to see something that you built, like you purchased six years ago, in flames, is devastating," Jerome said.

Her children, returning from school, were equally heartbroken.

"My kids were coming from school, and they were devastated to see the house in flames. They were crying in the officer's arms," Jerome said.

Neighbors had called Jerome about the fire while she was at work. No one was hurt in the blaze, but the future of the home remains uncertain. The fire is believed to have started electrically, but the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District is still investigating.

Despite the loss, Jerome said she has found strength in the support of her community.

"Parents reached out this morning to me, asking me if I needed anything. I was surprised to see that I had a community I never thought I had," Jerome said.

Teachers, students, and parents have rallied around the Jerome family, offering help in any way they can.

"I knew our teachers at our school, if you call them to do something, we'll do it," said Tracy Morrison, a fellow teacher who organized a GoFundMe. "We have you, we'll get you through this."

Jerome said she is holding on to what matters most: the kindness and support of those around her and the lessons of compassion she sees in her students every day.

The Red Cross was also called and responded to help the families.

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