Dad Who Lost 3 Daughters in 2011 Christmas House Fire Dies at 51

Matthew Badger, who lost his children in the devastating blaze, has died at age 51.

A Connecticut father whose three children perished in a raging Christmas fire has died, according the nonprofit group he founded.

He was 51.

Matthew Badger’s three young daughters died in the 2011 blaze, which ripped through a Stamford home shared by his ex-wife, her boyfriend, her parents and the girls.

The inferno, caused by fireplace embers, took the lives of 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah, 9-year-old Lily, and their maternal grandparents Lomer and Pauline Johnson.

Read: Wake Held for Connecticut Christmas Fire Victims

Badger’s death was announced on the Lily Sarah Grace Fund’s Facebook page Thursday. He founded the charity in his daughters’ names after the fatal fire.

"We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Matthew Badger, LSG co-founder. When LSG first started, it was to honor the lives and memories of Matthew's daughters,” the post said.

“Spurred by the vision of Matthew, and co-founder Abby Ballin, countless numbers of children nationwide have benefited from classroom learning experiences enriched by the arts and creativity."

A cause of death was not listed.

Read: Madonna Badger Faces Christmas One Year After Family's Death

The children’s mother, Madonna Badger, and her then-boyfriend, contractor Michael Borcina, escaped the blaze.

Investigators said the fire began inside a paper bag filled with fireplace ashes, which had been placed in the Victorian home’s mudroom.

Borcina had cleaned the hearth to make room for Santa Claus to visit, the mother said at the time.

The home was under renovation at the time and there were no working fire alarms in the house. Matthew Badger later received a $5 million settlement in a wrongful death suit he filed against Borcina, who was involved with the remodeling.

Madonna Badger took to Facebook Thursday, saying Badger “was a wonderful man with a generous heart. He was an amazing dad to his girls."

 Watch:  9-Month-Old Boy Was the Youngest of 6 Children to Die in House Fire