Community Remembers Mother, Daughters Killed In McAlester Fatal Fire

Dan Bewley, News On 6

McAlester, Oklahoma -- Three members of one family died in a McAlester house fire on Tuesday.  Zoey Edwards, 8, passed away late Tuesday night. Her mother and an older sister died in the fire early Tuesday morning.

3/29/2011 Related Story: Three Family Members Killed In McAlester House Fire

"Yesterday was a very sad day here on 10th Street, everybody came by," Bill Wills, a neighbor, said.

They came to see what was left of the family's home, blackened from a fire that took the lives of three family members: 8-year old Zoey Edwards, 17-year old Bradlee Edwards, and their mother Alyce Edwards.

Bill Wills lives across the street from the family.

"Oh that's going to be the hardest part, not seeing the little girl play anymore," he said.

The fire started early Tuesday morning. Investigators have ruled it an accident but can't pinpoint the exact cause.

"Whatever cause that fire it just went too quick, no one could have probably got out of that thing," Denzil Sinclair, another neighbor, said.

Denzil Sinclair lives next door. He's been remodeling his home for the past several weeks and says little Zoey would often come over to check on his progress. She was particularly interested in his choice for the color of paint.

"She was like, 'Sir, you have impeccable taste,'" he said. "And, I'm like, for a girl to be so young, for a girl to be so young like that, I was impressed with her large vocabulary because she's only eight you know."

Bradlee Edwards was a triplet. She and her two sisters were juniors at McAlester High School. She worked after school taking care of elementary kids.

The girls' mother, Alyce, worked at the McAlester Library as a children's aid. Their father survived the fire but is now in intensive care in a Tulsa hospital.

The Edwards are being honored across town as a loving family who would do whatever they could to help those in need.

"They were real good people, they always waved and said hi, and the kids was always real friendly," Wills said.

An account has been established at the First National Bank and Trust of McAlester for anyone looking to help out the surviving members of the family, it's under the name of Debra Lewis.