DULUTH, Ga. -- About 150 neighbors, friends and teachers of three girls who died after a townhome fire came together to remember the sisters, and show their support for their family. They lifted them up in prayer and with song. Many spoke about how each sister was special in her own way.

Amirra’s friends say she read all the time.

“She would just sit there and she would read, just read,” said a friend.

Her sixth-grade teacher, Jana Johnson, said Amirra gave her a hug before getting on the bus last week.

“It’s one hug that I wish I had held on longer and it's one hug that I won't ever forget,” said Johnson.

DeeDee was a special needs student at Duluth High School.

“Her gift to us was her joy, her love of live and her beauty,” said a teacher.

One friend met DeeDee when she randomly gave her a hug in the hallway.

“It's people like that that teach you about love and sincerity,” said the friend.

At 19, LaToya was the oldest of the three. Her friends are having a hard time understanding the tragedy.

“Why her? She was just so young and she was just living life,” said a friend.

Fire broke out at the Duluth townhome Friday night. The three huddled together in a closet on the third floor waiting for help. Their mother was the only survivor.

Friends said LaToya always wanted something better.

“She wanted a better life for her, a better life for DeeDee, a better life for Amirra. All she would say is ‘I just want things to get better,’ and I think where she is now, things can't get any better,” said a friend.

A co-worker of the girls’ mother spoke. He said her daughters were her life, and that she's getting by because through prayer. The sisters will be buried Saturday in Albany, Ga.