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.
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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.
NJ Transit will be back in action on Monday afternoon, with limited service beginning to ramp up after 4 p.m.
New York City Public Schools will be back in session as normal Tuesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced.
Pet owners should be extra cautious with their pets during and after the major winter snowstorm impacting the New York and New Jersey area.
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked the Justice Department from releasing former special counsel Jack Smith's report on the classified documents investigation.
More than 40 million people were under blizzard warnings along 700 miles of the East Coast from Maryland to Maine.
New York City Public Schools will be back in session as normal Tuesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced.
Pet owners should be extra cautious with their pets during and after the major winter snowstorm impacting the New York and New Jersey area.
Double-digit snow totals have been reported across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a major blizzard begins to wind down.
New York City will have a regular snow day on Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, due to the nor'easter and forecast for towering snowfall totals.
The storm has started to wrap up in New York City, New Jersey and beyond, with impressive snow totals left in its wake.
Pet owners should be extra cautious with their pets during and after the major winter snowstorm impacting the New York and New Jersey area.
Double-digit snow totals have been reported across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a major blizzard begins to wind down.
The storm has started to wrap up in New York City, New Jersey and beyond, with impressive snow totals left in its wake.
A blizzard warning has been issued for New York City and the surrounding area as a major snowstorm develops along the coast.
Four people were arrested for a home invasion that shut down two schools in Fairfield, Connecticut Thursday morning.
NJ Transit will be back in action on Monday afternoon, with limited service beginning to ramp up after 4 p.m.
Pet owners should be extra cautious with their pets during and after the major winter snowstorm impacting the New York and New Jersey area.
Double-digit snow totals have been reported across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a major blizzard begins to wind down.
The storm has started to wrap up in New York City, New Jersey and beyond, with impressive snow totals left in its wake.
A blizzard warning is in effect for all of New Jersey as parts of the Garden State could get one to two feet of snow.
Pet owners should be extra cautious with their pets during and after the major winter snowstorm impacting the New York and New Jersey area.
Double-digit snow totals have been reported across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a major blizzard begins to wind down.
The storm has started to wrap up in New York City, New Jersey and beyond, with impressive snow totals left in its wake.
New York City is facing a blizzard warning for the first time since 2017, Hochul said.
Sweetbriar Nature Center has been working around the clock to save starving, freezing and injured animals amid the harsh winter weather.
NJ Transit will be back in action on Monday afternoon, with limited service beginning to ramp up after 4 p.m.
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked the Justice Department from releasing former special counsel Jack Smith's report on the classified documents investigation.
An armed man was shot and killed early Sunday morning after "unauthorized entry" into the secure perimeter at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, the U.S. Secret Service said.
With a potential blizzard coming to New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave an update on how the city is gearing up for the next snowstorm.
On Friday, President Trump signed a proclamation that would impose 10% tariffs on most foreign imports to the United States.
For the first time in 30 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for an inoperable type of pancreatic cancer.
NYSNA has reached a tentative contract agreement with NewYork-Presbyterian, signaling a potential end to the longest nurses strike in New York City history.
NYSNA ratified contracts with Montefiore and Mount Sinai, clearing the way for nurses to return to work Saturday after walking off one month ago.
The longest and largest nurses strike in New York City history is set to end after over three weeks as NYSNA says it has a tentative agreement.
Mount Sinai Health System and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to reach a contract agreement by Dec. 31, which means about 9,000 physicians are no longer considered in-network.
"Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi said in a TikTok video that her results at a post-op appointment for a cone biopsy showed stage 1 cervical cancer.
In April 2025, Eric Dane announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Springsteen is taking his "Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour" nationwide starting in the spring.
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert criticized CBS on Monday night, saying the network blocked his interview with U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico from airing.
"Dawson's Creek" and "Varsity Blues" star James Van Der Beek has died at 48 years old.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds for his NBA-leading 39th double-double and the Knicks outlasted the sliding Bulls 105-99 on Sunday night.
Nicolás Fernández scored on a penalty kick in the second half and New York City FC tied the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 in a season opener before a sellout crowd of 30,510 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday with a closing ceremony inside the ancient Roman amphitheater, Verona Arena.
Through a sudden death overtime goal, the U.S. men's hockey team is golden over Canada.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points, Jalen Brunson had 20 and the Knicks erased an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Rockets 108-106 on Saturday.
Multiple rezonings in Queens are paving the way for tens of thousands of new units, but some residents worry about how it could affect their communities.
Residents and skate advocates clash over a proposed Mount Prospect Park skate facility, as city officials promise an updated design this spring.
A Brooklyn community is fighting to turn a forgotten landmark into a heritage center.
Edward R. Murrow High School's new boiler system cuts emissions while doubling as a hands-on sustainability lesson for students.
LUAR Creative Director Raul López says Lady Gaga's salsa-inspired dress in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show was a moment of pride for Caribbeans and Latinos.
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.
New Yorkers flocked to the park on Monday, not long after the massive storm dropped nearly 20 inches. CBS News New York's Alice Gainer also got caught up in the fun.
CBS News New York's Nick Caloway has the latest on the conditions in Ridgewood.
CBS News New York Lonnie Quinn has more on the storm that was, and Lisa Rozner, Jenna DeAngelis and Nick Caloway have the latest on conditions in New York City, on Long Island, and in New Jersey, respectively.
Snow continues to fall in NYC, N.J. and beyond as blizzard conditions triggered warnings and travel bans. Watch team coverage.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced public schools will return for in-person learning Tuesday, and alternate side parking is suspended through the week among many other topics covered at his blizzard briefing. Watch the full briefing.
