CARRINGTON, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The community of Carrington came together Saturday morning to hold a balloon release in remembrance of three children who were killed in a fire last year.

Tragedy struck the Tufte family February 25th, 2017 when a fire ignited inside their mobile home on the northwest side of Carrington. Three individuals survived and were taken to CHI St. Alexius Hospital. Alex, 11, Melody, 8, and Spencer, 7, all lost their lives in the fire.

A GoFundMe page was created for the family, raising over $70,500 in donations.

Three children were killed in the early morning blaze Saturday, February 25th, 2017.

Residents, teachers, students and others met at the Carrington High School to release the balloons Saturday, nearly a year since the awful tragedy.

“Thank you to everyone of you guys for coming out and supporting the family that lost their three small children one year ago,” stated Nicole Clifton Geiszler, organizer for the event. “God bless our little angels. Release your balloons.”

The state fire marshal’s office determined the fire at the Tufte home was accidental, caused by a space heater that was plugged into an extension cord.

Below is video taken by Greg Grenz during the balloon release.