GRAY — Like the clouds that came in over the region, the neighborhood where seven died from a Saturday morning fire felt a deep sense of sorrow on Sunday.

Along Sam Parker Road and around the area, many sobs were heard as family members, relatives, friends and neighbors came to console those who lost loved ones in the blaze. As the shock waves from the tragedy spread through the Tri County region there were also moments of remembrance. And in one part of the community of Gray, a prayer vigil for two of the victims.

"It's unimaginable. My friend and I talked about it all day. I mean, what do you say?" Mike Scott said Sunday afternoon as he and a friend were doing some work in Scott's garage on Sam Parker Road.

Scott knew the family of one of those who was killed the fire. Earlier, he went down near the scene of the blaze to console the parents, whose son died.

"I talked with them just a while ago, and they're just doing the best they can. We all know everybody here. We're a tight-knit community. Our community went down there and told his parents we were pulling together for them and praying for them. That's all we can do," Scott said.

Those who remember the man who perished in the fire, along with his girlfriend and her three children, and the two children who were staying with the family for the night, came to the parents' house behind the structure that caught fire during the course of the afternoon.

"It's devastating. This is a close-knit family and what happened has torn them apart. It's really been a sad time," said a relative who asked not to be identified.

A little over a mile away, Jo Ann Hendrickson was walking her dog along the road where the Keck Missionary Baptist Church is located.

"I heard the news from my sister this morning. I hate to hear about it," she said.

Verna Garrison lives nearby the house that was destroyed by the fire. She said she was the first one to see the smoke.

"I was at the kitchen sink and I saw the smoke. A few minutes later, I saw smoke coming out of the eaves of the house. Then I called my son, and his son who is my grandson went down to their mailbox, and said he saw smoke coming out of the windows of the house. My grandson was the one that called the fire department," she pointed out from her front porch.

Firefighters used her front yard as an area for staging their operations during the duration of the blaze. After the crews finished and going back to the station, she and a neighbor told them not to go just yet.

"After they were done, we had a dinner for them. A neighbor, who's my niece and I fed them out on the carport. None of them talked about what they did. They just thanked us for feeding them. They were all grateful," noted Garrison.

She also has a sense of sorrow about Saturday as well. The man who died in the fire was her cousin.

"Oh, they're sad. They're really tore up about it. People here are very friendly, and it's a very close-knit community. It was really bad here yesterday. I hope and pray I never see anything like that in my life again," Garrison said.

In the heart of Gray, some folks came to pray around 5:30 p.m.Sunday.

About 15 persons went across KY 2048 to an area along the railroad tracks known locally as "Gray's Gravel Pit" for a prayer vigil and singing. Tonya Ridener and her sister-in-law Barbara organized the vigil in memory of the two little girls who came to stay at the house on Sam Parker Road. Like the five family members who lived in the house that caught fire, the two girls — both two years of age — died.

"The two children that were staying over live next door in the house nearby. Their parents live there," Tonya noted, pointing to a house at the corner of KY 2048 and Dr. Parker Lane.

She, her sister-in-law and family members confirmed the two little girls were both two years old. One was Peyton Cox, who would have been three next week, while the other one was Brielle Cox, who turned two just recently. They also confirmed the parents of the girls were Garfield Cox and Brooke Mason.

Her sister-in-law Barbara Ridener added they were having the prayer vigil to remember all of the victims of the fire, as well as to take up funds for flowers and funeral arrangements.

She spoke fondly of the two girls. "I just remember how little and sweet they were. They followed their daddy around. Every day in the morning at their house, they'd peek their little heads out the window and watch people around the street. These two were always together. You'd never see the two without the other."

The girls' father showed up at the vigil as those around him prayed for him and the loss of his daughters. After the service, he showed the neighbors and friends what was inside a plastic bag. Tonia Ridener said later the bag contained two dresses and two pairs of shoes for the girls' funeral.

She and her sister-in-law bought them to bury the little girls in.