Dad of girls killed in Stamford Christmas fire has died

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A man whose three daughters were killed in a massive fire in Stamford, Conn., on Christmas in 2011 has died, according to the charity he cofounded. Matthew Badger was 51, according to the Lily Sarah Grace Fund.

"When LSG first started, it was to honor the lives and memories of Matthew's daughters," the fund wrote in a Facebook post. "Spurred by the vision of Matthew, and co-founder Abby Ballin, countless numbers of children nationwide have benefited from classroom learning experiences enriched by the arts and creativity."

The fund is named for Badger's daughters. Grace and Sarah Badger, 7, and Lily Badger, 9, and their maternal grandparents Lomer and Pauline Johnson all perished in a fast-moving fire that swept through a Victorian home in Stamford owned by Madonna Badger, their mother. She and her boyfriend, contractor Michael Borcina, survived.

An investigation found that a bag of fireplace embers left in a bin in the mudroom sparked the fire. Borcina, who was renovating the home, initially told investigators that he had left the ashes there, but later said that Madonna Badger had done it.

Badger said in interviews that his daughters' deaths devastated him and that the incident effectively "ended [his] life."

"While our hearts are broken, we are honored and committed to carrying on Matthew's legacy," the Lily Sarah Grace Fund wrote. It gave no further details on Badger's death.