LA Times-A Christmas morning house fire in an upscale Stamford neighborhood killed five people, three of them children, leaving neighbors and firefighters in tears.
Firefighters rescued two people from the blaze: Madonna Badger, 47, the mother of the children, and a man whose identity was not available. Badger is a New York advertising executive. Police later said the man was a contractor renovating the home, and the two dead adults were Badger's parents, who were visiting for Christmas.
Neighbor Charles Mangano said he saw rescuers walking Badger and the man away from the house toward an ambulance.
"I heard her say, 'My whole life is in there,' as she walked out," Mangano said. "They were both obviously in a state of shock."
Neighbors in the Shippan Point neighborhood, which juts into Long Island Sound, said they were awakened by screaming and ran outside to see fire consuming the house.
"I heard someone yell, 'Help, help, help me!' and I started sprinting up my driveway," Mangano told the Advocate of Stamford. Firefighters were already there.
"I just came out as a neighbor," he said. "There's really nothing I could do."
Stamford Fire Chief Antonio Conte said firefighters got the call at 4:52 a.m. and arrived to find the house engulfed. They rescued Badger and the man, but could not reach the other five.
"There was so much flame and heat it drove the firefighters back," Conte said. "They tried several times. We knew all five were in there. We just couldn't get to them."
Conte became emotional as he talked about the fire.
"I've been on this job 38 years," he said, his voice cracking. "Not an easy day."
Stamford's fire marshal is investigating, but Conte said it would probably take several days to determine what happened.
Badger had three daughters — a 10-year-old and 7-year-old twins. Her husband, Matthew Badger, was in New York City. Police said they drove him to Stamford on Sunday.
Badger bought the three-story, 3,300-square-foot, five-bedroom house overlooking Long Island Sound in December 2010 for $1.72 million. The house had been undergoing extensive renovations, neighbors said.
Becki Anderson, 43, of Stamford grew up in the home and said her parents sold it to Badger.
"Our hearts go out to Madonna and her family," Anderson said. "Our entire community is shocked and stunned."
Anderson said she and her husband took a long walk Christmas afternoon, and everyone they met was talking about the fire.
"Everybody's speaking in hushed tones, and it's sad," she said. "I don't think it matters it's Christmas. It would be sad any day of the year."
Badger, an advertising executive who founded the New York-based Badger & Winters Group, gained fame for Calvin Klein underwear and Obsession perfume ads. She founded her company at the age of 30.
Stamford, a city of 117,000, is about 25 miles northeast of New York City.
"It is a terrible, terrible day," Mayor Michael Pavia said. "There probably has not been a worse Christmas day in the city of Stamford."
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