Toronto firefighters and their union have donated $1,000 to two seniors who lost their home in a fire.

Richard Porter, 69, and his partner lived in Porter’s home on Oxford Avenue until the building was destroyed by a four-alarm blaze on Monday that the fire marshal’s office has deemed arson.

Porter lived there for almost half his life. On Thursday he returned to the charred rowhouse to salvage some of his belongings.

“I’m really sort of nervous and shaking and scared to look at my house I that I’ve lived in for 30 years,” Porter said.

The union, the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, also donated moving costs, a cell phone, and a hotel room while the couple plans a relocation to London, Ont.

“[Firefighters] see the effects of a fire every day. It touches you on a human scale and it’s tough to walk away,” Damien Walsh, vice president of the union, said.

Porter called the support he and his partner are receiving “astounding” and expressed sadness over the news the fire was set deliberately.

“It makes me really sad, is what it does. There’s anger, but mostly it’s really sad that anyone would do that,” Porter said.

Two other units were destroyed in the $1-million fire. No one was seriously injured.

The damage to the Porter family home on Oxford is extensive from the deliberately set fire. pic.twitter.com/7PCqwingfy — Kevin Misener (@Misener680News) December 4, 2014

69 year old Richard Porter looks through what’s left of his home destroyed by fire on Oxford Street. pic.twitter.com/0txg2zNbjo — Kevin Misener (@Misener680News) December 4, 2014

Aftermath of early morning row house fire nr College/Spadina. Dog’s barking woke up owner, they escaped safely. pic.twitter.com/Ogp3c3CSDz — Kevin Misener (@Misener680News) December 1, 2014

Firefighters from Station 315 donated $500, while the union donated the other $500.

With files from Kevin Misener