The father of the three girls killed in a Christmas morning house fire is suing the city of Stamford and his ex-wife's contractor boyfriend.
Matthew Badger's lawsuit was filed Wednesday.
Seven-year-old twins, Grace and Sarah, and their older sister, Lily, got lost in the smoke and never made it out.
Their grandparents were also killed.
Their mother, Madonna Badger, and her boyfriend, Michael Borcina, were the only ones to survive.
Fire marshals said Borcina failed to properly dispose the fireplace ashes.
He does not face any criminal charges but the little girl's father, Matthew, said Borcina, who was doing renovations to the home, the city and some of the contractors all played a role in making the home a hazard.
In the suit, it said the girls died before they could escape, which had become "A firetrap as a result of months of substandard and dangerous construction leading up to the fire." And that the home was an active construction site, and clearly not a place for children.
Channel 3 Eyewitness news asked a neighbor if the home looked safe.
"I didn't even see the scaffolding," the neighbor said. "I didn't even know repairs were going on actually."
But the suit lists all sorts of work being done, including adding a new smoke detection system.
The father's attorney also argued there were no temporary detectors and said the carpet installer, who usually checks for detectors because of the equipment they use, did not observe any smoke detectors, fire alarms or other similar devices.
The suit also said, "Borcona allowed Lily, Sarah and Grace to live among electrical hazards among other security and safety hazards."
This is the first of at least two lawsuits to come. Madonna Badger and the estate for the grandparents have already filed an intent to sue.
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