Chatham Elementary Teacher, Daughter Die In NY Fire

CHATHAM – A Chatham Elementary School teacher and her daughter died in a house fire in New York Sunday night.

Shannon Waldron Hubbard, 35, and her 1-year-old daughter Margaret died after being taken to nearby hospitals following the fire in the Town of Clinton, N.Y. Mrs. Hubbard’s husband, John, and their 3-year-old son Jack were also transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No information on the father and son’s conditions was available at press time. 

Mrs. Hubbard previously taught at Harwich Elementary School. This was her first year at Chatham Elementary School, where she was lead teacher in the pre-kindergarten program. John Hubbard is a patrol officer with the Dennis Police Department. The family lives in Brewster.

 On Tuesday, the first day of classes following the holiday weekend, support teams and counselors were at both elementary schools to help students, staff and families, according to a message sent to Monomoy School District families late Monday by Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter. Additional resources were available if needed, he added.

 Mrs. Hubbard, originally from Orleans, had many connections with families and staff throughout the school district, Carpenter wrote.

 “We are incredibly saddened by this loss and will make every effort to provide help as needed,” Carpenter wrote. “As we support Shannon’s family during this time, we will share any information that they wish about services or remembrances. We will keep Shannon’s family and the entire Monomoy Regional School District community in our thoughts.”

 CES Principal Jennifer Kelly said the school community was reeling from the news. Mrs. Hubbard was an “incredible teacher who exuded warmth and acceptance,” Kelly wrote in an email. In her short time at CES, Mrs. Hubbard “immediately made an impact on students and staff with her kind words and positive actions… Our hearts are with Mrs. Hubbard's loved ones and all those who were lucky enough to know her.” 

In a statement issued early Wednesday, Dennis Police Chief John Brady wrote that members of the department department were morning the loss. "Patrolman Hubbard is a valued member of our department and community, and more importantly our friend. We extend our deepest sympathies to him and his family," he said in the statement.

"We pledge our full support to Patrolman Hubbard and are committed to providing any assistance he needs as his family and loved ones navigate this unimaginable loss. We also know that the Dennis community is caring and compassionate, and will also be a source of support," Brady said.

New York State Police responded to a residential house fire call with the East Clinton Fire Department around 10:30 p.m. Oct. 13, according to a police report. Mrs. Hubbard, her daughter and son were extricated from the second floor of the home, an 1840-era farmhouse the family was renting through Airbnb.

 Mrs. Hubbard was transported to Vassar Hospital and her daughter was taken to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

 Multiple agencies responded to the fire, which is still under investigation, according to the report.

A fundraiser for the family was launched the Greg Hill Foundation. As of Thursday, it had raised more than $100,000.