Just weeks after burying one of their matriarchs, a Bryant, Ala., family is grappling with the horrific deaths of five more loved ones in the wake of the most tragic house fire Jackson County fire officials can recall.
“We had just lost our mom right before Christmas and we were trying to recoup from that,” said Vicky Ridgeway. “I live in Illinois, so you can imagine the shock of having to come back to this.”
Ridgeway lost her sister Carolyn Quarles, 63, and her niece and family in a blaze that erupted in the family’s home around midnight Saturday. The dead are Kim Alexander, 34; Tony Alexander, 42; and the couple’s daughters, Brianne, 8, and Emily, 6.
A gas heater is believed to have played a role in sparking the fire, although the official cause remains undetermined as the fire marshal’s investigation continues.
Regardless of its cause, the result of the blaze is a nightmare for a family, and the community where their roots were established.