Our community suffered diverse tragedies over the past weekend.

A home fire on Maude Street in Chattanooga was fatal for 14-month-old Destiny Jackson and critically burned her brother, Antonio, and their mother's best friend, Brandy Curry, who was baby-sitting while the mother was at work.

Fire claimed another life, that of Carla Nolan, on Ely Road about an hour later.

Quite a different tragedy took place while two University of Florida students, 20-year-old Grant Lockenbach and 18-year-old Michael Pirie, were exploring Ellison's Cave in nearby Walker County, Ga.

They were with some other students when some equipment fell in a deep drop. An attempt to retrieve it went awry, and the two apparently became stuck in a freezing waterfall. They suffered hypothermia. When would-be rescuers reached them, it was too late to save them.

Life is precious. Untimely deaths in accidents are especially painful.