Father Of Girls Killed In 2011 Christmas Day Fire Dies; Charity Says
A charity started by a man whose three daughters were killed in a Connecticut fire on Christmas morning in 2011 says he has died at the age of 51.
Watch CBS News
A charity started by a man whose three daughters were killed in a Connecticut fire on Christmas morning in 2011 says he has died at the age of 51.
Michael Borcina's lawyer said Thursday that Borcina will cooperate in the lawsuit filed by the children's father, Matthew Badger.
On Christmas Day in 2011, fire ravaged Madonna Badger's home in Stamford, Connecticut. Her three little girls -- 9-year-old Lily, and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace -- became trapped and died. Her parents also died in the inferno.
The fire in Stamford killed 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, 9-year-old Lily Badger, and their maternal grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson.
Clutching a bouquet of white flowers, smiling from ear to ear, Badger proves life can go on, even after enduring the unimaginable.
In a Vogue magazine article, Madonna Badger details how she continues to cope with the loss of her 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah, 9-year-old Lily and her parents.
The city of Stamford has since passed a law requiring working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for every home in the city.
Badger said that the bag of ashes didn't seem dangerous because her boyfriend, Michael Borcina, ran his hands over them before putting them on top of a plastic bin in a mudroom.
In the report that was released Friday online, Stamford State's Attorney David Cohen called the blaze "an inexplicable accident."
The mother of the three children killed in a Christmas morning fire has filed a notice of intent to sue the city of Stamford, WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported. Her parents were also killed in the fire.
Utica First Insurance Co. argues in a lawsuit filed this week in New York that Michael Borcina misrepresented the number of employees with his company, Tiberias Construction, its sales and payroll, and size and type of work performed.
It's difficult for Matthew Badger to deal with the loss of his three darling daughters, but he's turning his heartbreak into hope by helping other young children.
Three sisters and their grandparents died in the fire. The girls' mother, Madonna Badger and her boyfriend Michael Borcina, survived. Investigators determined the fire was started by improperly discarded fireplace embers.
In January, officials in Connecticut were scrutinizing the circumstances of the blaze, trying to determine if it was just a horrible accident or a crime.
Was it just a horrible accident, or a crime? That's what police and prosecutors were trying to figure out Friday in Connecticut as they began putting the horrendous Christmas Day fire under a legal microscope.
As Stamford police investigate, they're trying to answer a key question: were battery-operated smoke alarms and several fire extinguishers removed from the home sometime before the fire?
Michael Borcina and homeowner Madonna Badger were the only survivors of the blaze.
Police and fire officials say they agreed to give Madonna Badger and Michael Borcina time to mourn the loss of Badger's daughters and parents. Police Capt. Richard Conklin says, "But now we're moving ahead on that.''
Lomer and Pauline Johnson are being honored at a memorial service in Louisville, Kentucky. Lomer worked there as a safety chief for a liquor company until he retired.
Madonna and Matthew Badger, the girls' father, held hands and cried as they watched the caskets carrying the remains of their three daughters get carried into St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Manhattan.
Madonna Badger, who lost her three daughters and both parents in the Christmas morning fire in Stamford, Conn., attended Wednesday's wake, along with the girls' father and the only other survivor of the tragedy, Badger's contractor.
Badger's parents Lomer and Pauline Johnson and daughters Lily, Grace and Sarah were all killed in a Christmas Day blaze.
Madonna Badger's three daughters and their grandparents all died in a Christmas Day blaze at her Stamford home, which was being renovated.
The family of the victims who died in the tragic Christmas day fire in Stamford are reaching out to the countless strangers who have been sending their condolences.
This morning the medical examiner's office released an autopsy report on the victims -- whose deaths were ruled accidental.
Dallas outscored Brooklyn 29–19 in the fourth quarter, with Davis and Flagg taking over down the stretch.
A judge in New Jersey agreed to release Mark Paulino from jail while he awaits a criminal trial for child pornography charges.
UnitedHealthcare and NewYork-Presbyterian have roughly two weeks to reach an agreement or thousands of Medicare Advantage members could be forced to find care elsewhere.
The NYPD on Friday released never-before-seen videos and 911 calls from a November shootout on the Upper East Side.
The city is sharing new details about the historic $1 billion investment announced for the Coney Island Boardwalk, the largest in its century-long history
UnitedHealthcare and NewYork-Presbyterian have roughly two weeks to reach an agreement or thousands of Medicare Advantage members could be forced to find care elsewhere.
The NYPD on Friday released never-before-seen videos and 911 calls from a November shootout on the Upper East Side.
The city is sharing new details about the historic $1 billion investment announced for the Coney Island Boardwalk, the largest in its century-long history
The cost of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets may price out the tourists that New York and New Jersey have been expecting.
CBS News New York's Jennifer McLogan is not retiring just yet, but she is stepping back from her daily assignments.
Accumulating snow will be followed by bitter cold, with freezing on the roadways and dangerous road conditions likely even after the snow ends.
Survivors of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, families and lawmakers gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to honor the lives lost and continue calls for action to end gun violence.
Connecticut is dealing with its first measles case since 2021, after a child, who is not vaccinated, contracted the virus while traveling internationally.
This brutally cold weather stretch in the New York City area means business — especially with snow increasingly likely in the coming days.
The Stamford Police Department has identified the man whose decomposed body was found handcuffed in the home of a gunman who opened fire at officers during a standoff on Dec. 2.
A judge in New Jersey agreed to release Mark Paulino from jail while he awaits a criminal trial for child pornography charges.
The cost of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets may price out the tourists that New York and New Jersey have been expecting.
Accumulating snow will be followed by bitter cold, with freezing on the roadways and dangerous road conditions likely even after the snow ends.
A New Jersey man who was praised for trying to save an 82-year-old neighbor from a fire this summer has now been charged with her murder.
New Jersey prosecutors confirmed four arrests after a mass shooting in Newark left three people, including a mother and a little boy, dead.
A U.S. Postal Service clerk was caught on video stealing cards from the mail in a police sting on Long Island, according to investigators.
Accumulating snow will be followed by bitter cold, with freezing on the roadways and dangerous road conditions likely even after the snow ends.
Drone technology recently helped Suffolk County police catch an alleged shoplifter.
This brutally cold weather stretch in the New York City area means business — especially with snow increasingly likely in the coming days.
There is optimism that New York state will finally close the loophole in the law on drugged driving, perhaps in early 2026.
Mamdani refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state during an interview on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer."
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is threatening to pull millions of dollars in federal funding to New York.
Adm. Alvin Holsey relinquished command Friday in a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters after announcing early retirement amid U.S. buildup off of Venezuela.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released 19 photos from a trove of images obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein.
For the second time in a month, prosecutors in Virginia failed to secure an indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
UnitedHealthcare and NewYork-Presbyterian have roughly two weeks to reach an agreement or thousands of Medicare Advantage members could be forced to find care elsewhere.
Connecticut is dealing with its first measles case since 2021, after a child, who is not vaccinated, contracted the virus while traveling internationally.
Mixed nuts from Ohio-based Mellace Family Brands sold at some Wegmans stores could be tainted with Salmonella, FDA warns.
New York has no plans to change hepatitis B vaccine guidance after a Centers for Disease Control advisory panel voted to stop recommending a first dose for newborns.
In New York alone, there have already been more than 17,000 flu cases and nearly 1,000 hospitalizations, and doctors anticipate it's only going to get worse as more people gather for the holidays.
A woman struck and killed by a car in Midtown earlier this week was actress Wenne Alton Davis, police said.
The 2026 Met Gala co-chairs have been announced. Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams are set to join Vogue's Anna Wintour.
President Trump is hosting the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday after presenting medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during an Oval Office ceremony Saturday.
The iconic Wythe Diner was physically moved Saturday from its location in Williamsburg to Steiner Studios in Brooklyn's Navy Yard.
Japanese officials said Jeremy O Harris, known for his Tony-nominated "Slave Play" and his role in the series "Emily in Paris," was arrested on the island of Okinawa on Nov. 16.
Brady Cook will become the 55th starting quarterback in New York Jets history, and the first undrafted rookie to do so for the team since J.J. Jones in 1975.
The cost of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets may price out the tourists that New York and New Jersey have been expecting.
Moore, 39, is charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering.
The New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Thursday night.
The injury-depleted Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New Jersey Devils 8-4 on Thursday night.
The city is sharing new details about the historic $1 billion investment announced for the Coney Island Boardwalk, the largest in its century-long history
New York City officials have secured long-awaited funding to restore the 102-year-old Coney Island boardwalk.
Residents on East 57th Street say reckless drivers have caused life-altering injuries and even death, but despite petitions and years of advocacy, the city has yet to install a speed bump.
Neighbors in Brooklyn's Victorian Flatbush are expressing frustration after the city designated only part of their area as a historic district.
Brooklyn's Prospect Park is getting financing for a long-term project to battle the impacts of climate change, city leaders say.
The Halloween tradition strolled through Manhattan's East Village on Sunday, with furry friends dressed in colorful costumes.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Dogs got decked out for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City's East Village on Saturday.
Cosplayers flooded New York City's Javits Center in October 2024 for the annual New York Comic Con convention.
CBS News New York's Lonnie Quinn has your First Alert Forecast for December 12 at 11 p.m.
Bitterly cold temperatures and measurable snow in the forecast have New Yorkers getting ready for a winter weekend. Naomi Ruchim has more on the city's plans and how folks are preparing.
The NYPD has just released new videos and 911 calls from a deadly shootout on the Upper East Side last month. CBS News New York's Ali Bauman takes us through the dramatic moments.
The latest release of Jeffrey Epstein case show pictures of the sex offender with powerful figures, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. The images from the Epstein estate were released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. CBS News New York's Dick Brennan takes us through the new developments and what lies ahead.
Police say an individual stole a Porsche near Union Square and eventually hit two parked cars before flipping over Friday.