Mother describes Christmas Eve fire that killed family

STAMFORD, Conn. (WHDH) -- A Connecticut woman who lost her three young daughters and her parents when a fire engulfed their home on Christmas morning, spoke about the tragedy on The Today Show Thursday morning.

“The first time I smiled or the first time I laughed, I felt so bad, you know?” Madonna Badger told NBC’s Matt Lauer.

But she’s also still looking for answers about what happened six months ago at her stately home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Her three daughters were there, nine-year-old Lily and twins, Grace and Sarah, along with her retired parents.

Her dad loved to play department store Santa.

he would come home...OC: he was amazing.

Then there was Madonna Badger's new boyfriend, Michael Borcina, the contractor who had renovated her home. They were all together on Christmas Eve.

They had a fire going in the fireplace. Badger said her boyfriend Mike cleaned the fireplace, bagging the ashes very late that night. She didn't think the ashes were hot, so they were left inside on top of a plastic box.

She went to bed and slept for less than an hour.

“I woke up and I was choking,” she said.

She got out of the house and went to save her little girls.

Her boyfriend got out too, and tried to rescue the girls and their grandparents. His eyes were burned shut.

Madonna badger screamed for her parents too. They, along with her three daughters were lost in the fire.

Badger still wants to know why her smoke detectors didn't sound and why her house was torn down the day after the fire.