Crime & Safety

Shippan Fire Fatalities Caused By Smoke Inhalation [Update]

Stamford's top fire investigators have concluded that Sunday morning's fatal fire on Shippan Ave. was accidental and caused by discarded embers.

Updated, Wednesday, 4:21 p.m.

State medical examiners have concluded that the three children and two adults killed in the Shippan Ave. fire tragedy were died by smoke inhalation, according to a report by USA Today.

"...Lomer Johnson also suffered head and neck trauma that could have resulted from a fall or being hit by an object," a CT medical examiner reported. Also, 52 year-old Michael Borcina, 2267 Shippan survivor, Madonna Badger's boyfriend, and the home's contractor, was released from Stamford Hospital on Wednesday morning.

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“We’re going to be okay...we’re just trying to stay positive," Borcina told the NY Daily News. Borcina stated that he has been in contact with Badger since Sunday, and has had trouble sleeping.

Updated, Wednesday, 9:50 a.m.

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Calls made to 911 by Badger's neighbors just after the fire started have been released by WFSB

"There's a huge fire at the house next door to us," one neighbor said. "The whole house is on fire."

The calls can be heard here.

Original Story

The head fire marshals investigating the at a Shippan Avenue residence, which resulted in the deaths of two adults and three children, revealed their preliminary findings during a 4 p.m. at the .

"On the behalf of the entire Stamford community, of whom I represent, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these people that we lost in a tragic Christmas fire that took the lives of three children and their grandparents," Mayor Michael Pavia said as the conference began. "Over the last several days, we've made every effort to determine the cause of this tragedy."

Pavia stated that conclusions in the investigation had been reached, specifying one conclusion as the most frustrating. "Despite heroic efforts, five people lost their lives in this catastrophic blaze, and nothing will ever change that," he said.

Stamford fire marshals Acting Fire Chief Antonio Conte and Deputy Fire Chief Barry Callahan, who are leading the investigation, then elaborated on its causes.

Callahan confirmed that the fire was "accidental in nature" and started on the first floor of the Badger residence "in the immediate area of a mudroom and trash bin enclosures. The fire was started by "hot fireplace ash and embers," which had been thrown out within the area around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.  

"The fire entered the house quickly, and spread through the first floor," Callahan said.

According to Conte, fire dispatch was called at 4:52 a.m., and the first fire truck arrived within six minutes.

Homeowner Madonna Badger, who'd already escaped the home, told the first response team that her children — 10-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah — were sleeping on the third floor. Conte stated that this fire crew laddered up to the third floor and pushed through several rooms to find the three children.

Badger's companion Michael Borcina, who also escaped the fire, also attempted to rescue the children by going back inside the building and leading two of them downstairs from the third floor to the second, but in the heat, smoke and confusion, two girls ran off — one went back upstairs and the other ran elsewhere in the burning home.

The body of one of those children was found with her grandmother Pauline Johnson near the stairway at the front of the house.

Badger also tried to get back into the building, but the flames prevented her, and firefighters who found her still attempting to get in brought her back away from the flames.

Badger's father Lomer Johnson got out of a second-story window, but fell, face first, to his death two stories below at the back of the house. Another grandchild was found on some books near the window Johnson fell from.

Fire officials believe Johnson had hoped to get out of the window, climb on some rafters that were there during a construction project on the house, and somehow grab the child so they could both make their escape. Johnson and his wife were both residents of . 

After a second rescue attempt by the team, three firefighters were injured. "We had one captain who received second degree burns to his face [and] we had two firefighters that suffered from smoke inhalation," Conte added.

Other fire crews suppressed the spread of the fire from the outside. "Obviously, we were unable to rescue anyone in that structure, and it's a sad day for the fire department," Conte said.

The conference did not clear up whether or not Badger's family was occupying the second floor of the structure, which was undergoing renovation. Under city building regulations, a permit is needed before people can move back into areas undergoing extensive renovations.

On the second floor of the home, it was only permissible for the master bedroom to be used. Whether or not family members were sleeping there when the fire began is not yet known, city officials said. The first and third floors were available for legal occupation, they said.

It was also unclear whether or not a working smoke alarm or other fire detection system was operating at the time. Some initial comments from city officials at first seemed to indicate that no alarm system was in use, but later in the news conference, city officials said they simply didn't know.

"Ms. Badger lost her three children and her two parents," Mayor Pavia said when questioned about Badger's role in the preliminary investigation. "When we made the initial contact with Ms. Badger, the last thing on our minds to talk to her about was not if her building permits was valid, or whether her smoke detectors were working. There were much more important things that had to be attended to regarding Ms. Badger. As the follow-up investigation continues, and it will continue, those are the kinds of questions that will be asked... but not now."

Pavia and city marshals were not forthcoming as to the location and status of either Badger or Borcina.

When asked if there were structural problems in the home that could have worsened the fire, Callahan stated that he wasn't aware of any at the moment.

Stamford fire investigators could not point to any external causes of the fire besides fire embers and stressed that their investigation was in its earliest stages, ongoing and of the highest priority.

Editor's note: Darien Patch Editor David Gurliacci contributed to this article.


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