Five Killed in Christmas Day House Fire in Connecticut
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Tina Fineberg/AP Photo
Three young girls and their grandparents were killed in a three-alarm house fire in Stamford, Conn., early Christmas morning, as the girls’ mother desperately tried to save them, authorities said.
The mother of the girls is fashion consultant Madonna Badger, who created the Mark Wahlberg Calvin Klein underwear ads. Stamford Police said Badger and her “male acquaintance” are in the hospital, but she didn’t appear to be severely physically injured.
“Mom and her male friend were trying desperately to get to the children’s bedrooms,” Stamford Police Sgt. Paul Guzda told ABC News on Sunday. “They were trying to break windows. Mom was actually up on a roof that extends from the house, trying to break the window.”
Two of the girls were seven years old and their older sister was 10-years-old, according to police.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and I tell you — to get that call in the early morning hours, to hear that there’s a fatal fire, that’s bad enough. But then when you hear it on Christmas morning, that three little children like this perished in a fire…it’s beyond words,” Guzda said.
“To say it’s tragic,” he said, “is an understatement.”
“There probably has not been a worse Christmas Day in the city of Stamford,” said Mayor Michael Pavia.
Officials said the fire started at about 5 a.m. and that smoke was still present at the scene as firefighters surveyed the area at 9:30 a.m.
A neighbor said he woke up to the sound of screaming, only to see the house engulfed by flames, ABC News New York station WABC-TV reported.
“It was a male voice, and it was just, ‘help, help me,’” neighbor Charles Mangano said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Such a tragedy on Chritsmas morning. May God help comfort those who knew these 5 people. May all five R.I.P.
Posted by: Bob | December 25, 2011, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
So sad any time of the year, but even sadder Christmas day. Prayers for the family and friends of those 5 killed.
Posted by: Countrygirl1362 | December 25, 2011, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
Sgt. Guzda, may the Lord Jesus Christ bring you his peace that surpasses all understanding.
Posted by: Waterbear | December 25, 2011, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
God? Jesus Christ? Why do “they” let this happen? Why does your “God” LET this happen to little children? I do not understand….and I never will.
Posted by: laurasophia | December 25, 2011, 6:43 pm 6:43 pm
Laura, there is no way to understand this. Do not even try. I have to believe that GOD had no part in this and that our lives are our own. Tragedies such as this surpass all our ability to understand and the grief is overwhelming. But I will pray for this family because I know he exists. His beloved son died on the cross for us.
Posted by: Paula Higgins | December 25, 2011, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm
Laura, are you an atheist? I’m asking because you want to know how could “your God” let this happen. Well I do believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, but if there were no God how would you explain this happening to those people, since there would have been no one to have “let it happen”? Things happen every day, sometimes with little or no explanation. Perhaps there was faulty wiring, or the lights were left burning all night or for days on the Christmas tree, possible a lit cigarette’s ashes began the blaze, one of the girls played with a lighter or matches, or a grease fire in the kitchen. Who knows? But God and His Son did not “let it happen”.
Posted by: Debbie | December 25, 2011, 8:24 pm 8:24 pm
Unfortunately, there’s a very good chance that the fire was caused by some sort of Christmas decoration or perhaps something like a candle. There’s also a very good chance the deaths could have been prevented if there was a working smoke detector in every room. Very sad, my heart goes out to the family.
If you love your family, get smoke detectors, install them correctly, and maintain them properly.
Posted by: Cat Whisperer | December 25, 2011, 9:45 pm 9:45 pm
Yes it is a terrible tragedy. BUT would some one establish the cause. And make sure that this cause is not repeated. All this other emotional stuff which our trashy media feeds on , is totally irrelevant and worthless.
Posted by: Galactic Cannibal | December 25, 2011, 10:15 pm 10:15 pm
aww this story brought tears to my eyes
Posted by: gabby hayes | December 26, 2011, 1:14 am 1:14 am
I hate reading stuff like this. I just can’t imagine. None of us can. It is so sad.
Posted by: BcdErick | December 26, 2011, 2:13 am 2:13 am
Uhg, I feel sick about this. I cannot even begin to imagine what that poor woman is going through right now, my heart is just aching. Not only has she lost each of her children and her parents on Christmas day as she fought with all her strength to save her girls, but she is now thrown into the harsh scrutiny of cruel online ridicule, with thousands of complete strangers arguing about if she ultimately caused it, if she was cheating on her husband, and immaturely arguing over God while using her tragedy as some sort of sick “case in point” for their childish rants about religion. When I read about her climbing onto the rooftop to try and break the window to her girls’ room, I just completely lost it and broke down crying. I could just feel her panic and fear in those moments. I can’t imagine any worse feeling in the entire world and I hope someday she’ll be at peace and be happy again. Until then I can’t even imagine the hell she is going through, but I wish her all the best.
Posted by: Gee | December 26, 2011, 2:21 am 2:21 am
And I thought my Holiday season was bad. Being alone and having nothing is everything compared to someone who just lost everything-as in losing those three beautiful children. I don’t know what they look like, but they’re children and so they are beautiful. I know if anything like this happened to my own children that I would have to join them. I just couldn’t live without them. So may God be with this family and let her see ways that free her pain and sorrow, and have reasons to live..for I don’t know if I could go on.
Posted by: MickeC | December 26, 2011, 5:13 am 5:13 am
A wealthy family and no smoke alarms? One of mine in a hallway goes off sometimes if I sear something in a frying pan in the kitchen but that’s okay – that level of sensitivity is comforting.
Posted by: The_Mick | December 26, 2011, 5:19 am 5:19 am
It’s sad in this day and age that one has to “wonder” about foul play, but some things are a bit suspicious. No smoke detectors? And some more recent articles have revealed that the mother is a semi-famous ad executive and her “male friend” is supposedly a contractor working on an extension of the house. But what was he doing there at 5am on Xmas morning?
I just hope that if it turns out to be something “suspicious” and not something as simple (but tragic) as something involving the lights and decorations and lack of working smoke detectors that the culprit wasn’t someone in the house so all those (including myself) feeling for this family don’t feel sick once we know the ‘real’ story…..
Posted by: Harry | December 26, 2011, 8:49 am 8:49 am
This is beyond anything. Her little girls died in the fire, plus her parents. Horrifying. I pray she can hold up. She was divorcing her husband, but he must be suffering horribly from the loss of their little girls. So so sad..
Posted by: Ann | December 26, 2011, 10:25 am 10:25 am
Awful tragic experience indeed :-((((. It’s a shame; however makes me wonder what this women has done to receive this kind of karma?!
Posted by: Nadia | December 26, 2011, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
May God be with this mother and the girls’ father as they deal with this tragedy, as they are going to need God’s strength to help pull them through this ordeal.
Posted by: Debbie | December 26, 2011, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm
@ Nadia, I went to high school in Louisville with Madonna Badger, nee Johnson. She was nice to everyone. Give me a break with the Karma garbage….
Did everyone in the Holocaust have bad karma, too? I pray she can find solace.
Posted by: KathyK | December 26, 2011, 2:41 pm 2:41 pm
This is such a tragedy my god.
God didn’t “let this happen”. We are here, this world is crap mostly and accidents happen all the time. If things went Gods way we would be already be in heaven! That’s the point, things don’t go Gods way in this world! Notice God never promised eternal life on this earth because on this earth there is evil. We will all eventually die. We will be with Him when we die if we believe in Him and his son. And THAT is the promise.
Posted by: Nathan | December 27, 2011, 12:08 am 12:08 am
Nathan, you are absolutely right, and stating what you have here is not some “sick case in point ranting about religion”. I believe in God and His Son, Jesus, and this woman who lost her family in this terrible fire will eventually find healing in Him. Things happen we may never be able to understand, but God gives us the strength and maturity to handle difficult situations in life.
Posted by: Debbie | December 27, 2011, 9:34 am 9:34 am
Very questionsble circumstances! So they are saying that the boyfriend gathered up fireplace embers and put them in a bag? WOW! What percentage of anyone over 40 years old would be so stupid as to do this? Is any fireplace made to NOT WITHSTAND COALS OR EMBERS? NO! NO! NO! Does any agency or group advicate “cleaning up coals” from a fireplace before you goto bed? COME ON PEOPLE! FIGHT FOR THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO PERISHED! DIVORCE? FINANCES? CUSTODY? INVESTIGATE!
Posted by: Jim | December 28, 2011, 9:08 am 9:08 am
Negligent murder in the 2nd degree. No fire escapes on the 3rd floor, a fire by all accounts with an accelerator, no smoke alarms, building on the home not yet deemed habitable, children dead mother saves self. Time for a grand jury investigation.
Posted by: Angelgroove | December 28, 2011, 11:27 am 11:27 am
come on man. here you are talking about grand jury and the court system. this mom is in hell for the rest of her life for losing her children and parents. you need to take your blinders off and get a life
Posted by: rockie badger | December 29, 2011, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
I want the rule of law here and it should be addressed. Maybe Conn. is a state that hides its head the sand when tragedies like this happen. If this were anywhere else, the police would already have arrested her and the boyfriend, ad exec or not.
Negligent homicide is a criminal act whether people like yourself like it or not. But you might be right, it may be a state of mind in Conn. that 2nd degree murder is okay. Kind of like Virginia selling hand guns to anyone. The east coast needs a tune up here to the 21st century we are drifting well into the world of lawlessness where murder is just an accident.
Face it she and the boyfriend conveniently lived while her children and her parents were killed. You sense anything wrong with that? What would you in case of a fire, save your sorry ass and forgo saving your loved one? Maybe grab your laptop and start tweeting?
Posted by: Angelgroove | December 29, 2011, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm