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'We need to be strong': Sacramento City Unified School District teacher loses home in fire

The district has created a GoFundMe for the Rosa Parks K-8 School teacher and his family.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Sacramento City Unified School District teacher lost everything in a house fire Wednesday.

John Xiong, a math teacher at Rosa Parks Middle School, lost his home in the 8300 block of Stevenson Avenue after a fire sparked Wednesday afternoon.

"My son called me and said, 'The house is on fire,' and I thought it was a small fire but he said it was a big fire," said Xiong.

His mother and his four young children were able to escape the home after the fire sparked. He credits his family being saved by a Sacramento code enforcement officer who drove by and noticed the smoke.

Crews from Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded and put the fire out, but almost everything inside was already gone.

In response to the tragedy, the Rosa Parks community started a GoFundMe and is looking for the support to help Xiong and his family. Over $6,000 has been raised so far, which Xiong says is overwhelming.

"I don't know what to say, how to say enough to thank everyone for their support and care," he said.

Xiong remains in positive spirits and is extremely grateful for Good Samaritans and the community.

"We need to be strong, we need to understand that this is part of life,” Xiong said. “It could happen to anyone and this time it happened to us, so just understand that this is not the end of the world."

The GoFundMe can be found HERE.

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