‘Honey you’re my hero’: NH father shares how his daughter escaped deadly home explosion in Derry

DERRY, N.H. — Just days after John Giso’s Goodhue Road home exploded, he combed through the rubble on his property for the first time Wednesday – looking for anything that might be salvageable.

“It’s like a treasure hunt of your life,” said Giso.

The explosion Thursday claimed the life of Giso’s mother-in-law, 76-year-old Laura Percival who was living with the family at the time.

[10:15 PM] Coates, Daniel (CMG-Boston-Con) Laura Percival, Grandma Derry NH

Giso’s daughter, Violet, was able to escape the blast and the fire that followed.

“It blows my mind how my daughter was able to walk out of this,” Giso told Boston 25 Wednesday outside his home.

According to Giso, his daughter is recovering well at home from serious burns to her face, chest, hands, and feet that make it difficult to walk.

He recalled rushing to the scene Thursday afternoon after hearing his home was up in flames.

“I had it in four-wheel drive but I barely stayed on the road,” Giso explained.

He arrived to fire crews surrounding his neighborhood. Giso told Boston 25 that his mother-in-law and daughter were in the basement of the home during Thursday’s storm when a tree fell on the backside of their house and onto propane tanks that could have sparked the explosion.

Giso added, “[Violet] said she looked around and couldn’t find grandma, and she crawled out of a hole in the wall.”

Violet was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance accompanied by neighbors. Percival was found dead on the scene.

“It’s looking to be like she died instantly in the blast,” said Giso. “I think it was concussive injuries.”

Giso continued, “I said, ‘Honey you’re my hero,’ and she said, ‘I’m not a hero, dad. If I was a hero, I would’ve been able to save grandma.’ I said, ‘No, you’re a hero. Grandma would’ve wanted you to get out.’”

Giso told Boston 25 they plan to rebuild a home on the property in the next 14 months. With the help of the community, they’ve been able to raise more than $60,000 in the last week.

While their search for salvageable belongings was just beginning, Giso was overwhelmed by the local support.

“I got to be honest, it renews faith in humanity,” he finished.

A GoFundMe page for the family.

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