RICHLAND, N.Y. -- "They were nice people," Paul Whitcomb, a friend and neighbor to the victims said." "Yup."

With only about 5,500 people, the Town of Richland isn't much bigger than the sign that tells you you've arrived. So you can imagine that when a tragedy happens, like this fire that killed eight people Sunday, it effects just about everyone because one way or another, most everyone knows one another.

"Either through school or the school district, or the fire department, the churches, everything in a small community like this, they all have ties," Oswego County Sheriff Reuel Todd said.

A Nice and Easy convenience store is within walking distance of the fire site. As you can imagine it was a place where people were talking and helping each other heal.

"It's very sad," Barbara Jennings, a resident of the next door Town of Orwell said. "Everybody is trying to cope with it. The people I work for, they're related to the people."

"It could happen to any house," Whitcomb said. "It could be my house."

Not one person we talked to said they could remember anything in their small community quite as tragic as this, they hope they'll never have to.