McAlester Family Struggles To Overcome Losses In Fatal Fire

Dan Bewley, News On 6

MCALESTER, Oklahoma -- A deadly fire tore through a McAlester home leaving a family devastated. A mother and two daughters killed, a father in critical condition.

"This is probably the most tragic thing that's ever happened to our family," said Jade Hunter, niece of McAlester resident Brad Edwards.

Jade Hunter and her grandmother, Deborah Lewis, are still in shock over a tragic turn of events.

"Day by day, just day by day that's all we can do," said Deborah Lewis, mother of fire victim Brad Edwards.

Lewis lost a daughter-in-law and two granddaughters on Tuesday. Alyce, Bradlee, and Zoey Edwards died after their McAlester home caught fire.

Investigators have ruled the cause as accidental.

3/30/2011 Related Story: Community Remembers Mother, Daughters Killed In McAlester Fatal Fire

Alyce's husband and the girls' father was still in critical condition in a Tulsa hospital Saturday evening. Brad Edwards sustained burns of 65 percent of his body after he ran back inside the home trying to save his family

"He's a fighter; he's a survivor, and he's fighting hard now," Deborah Lewis said.

Lewis says her son's family was very close. A picture from five years ago shows Brad and Alyce and their five girls. Zoey's the youngest, Bradlee was a triplet.

Her sisters are now busy planning their funeral.

Lewis says four days after the deadly fire and the family still can't believe what happened.

"Even the next day when I came up I just kept saying 'it's a bad dream, I'm going to wake up.' I felt like I wasn't even in my body, I was just walking but I didn't feel like I was even walking. I felt that way since I've been here, pretty much," said Deborah Lewis, mother and grandmother of the victims.

Lewis says the American Red Cross and her fellow employees with the city of McAlester have helped her make it this far. She says Alyce and the girls were strong in their faith, and Bradlee and Zoey as close as sisters can be.

"She and Zoey did everything together; her and Zoey shared a room together. They always have. The other two shared a room, and Bradlee was always with Zoey and so she's with her now," Lewis said.