“Thank God, we didn’t know we were going to lose the two little boys, but everyone came running to help.” What transpired is really tragic,” she said to the news outlet.

Oberlag went on, “They attempted, but were unable, to capture the boys, Nick and Travis, who lived next door. It is awful.

The cause of the explosion and fire is still being investigated.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies, a Florida-based enterprise founded by Missourians David and Jerri Hoffmann, was the owner of the building. According to the Post-Dispatch, the Hoffmanns purchased nearby wineries and eateries with the intention of turning the region into the Midwest’s Napa Valley.

“Our hearts are with the member of our team and their family who lost their children and grandchildren,” the firm stated in a statement on Friday. “As a family-run company, we are committed to supporting our staff and our community.”

According to the news source, the house was close to the Defiance RoadHouse, a bar and grill owned by Turpiano, the boys’ mother.

The Post-Dispatch was informed by Dan Tripp, a co-owner of Good News Brewing in Defiance, that Jennifer Ham, Turpiano’s mother, had also operated the for many years.

For the family, Tripp created a GoFundMe campaign, which as of Monday morning had raised over $145,000. He mentioned that both women belong to the Defiance Merchants Association, an organization that supports the regional wine industry.

They say, “You will never forget how excited they were about life and how much joy they brought to everyone around them if you ever met the boys at the Defiance Roadhouse, the Christmas Festival, or the St. Patrick’s Day parade.”

The family will have to pay for two funerals in addition to losing their house and everything they possessed. The statement reads, “The family will need your prayers and emotional support as they grieve the loss of two special little boys in addition to your financial contributions.”
A neighbor named Laura Emerson stopped over to place her Christmas wreath on a water pump by the destroyed house. She hung the wreath up after stuffing it with two plush animals.

“Those boys appeared content.” They were intelligent. They were happy. She informed the press, “They were loved.”