(FAYETTEVILLE) -- A house fire early Tuesday morning in Cumberland County took the lives of nearly an entire family. Thirty-six year-old Edward Cantrell, a Special Forces soldier at Fort Bragg, died while trying to save his two young daughters.

Both Edward Cantrell and his wife Louise initially escaped the fire but Edward reentered the home to rescue his two daughters, 6-year-old Isabella and 4-year-old Natalia.  While Edward went back into the burning home, Louise ran to call for help. Edward and his two daughters never made it back out of the Hope Mills home.

"This lady has been left with no family," said Cumberland County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Debbie Tanna. "She has no personal items that are going to be able to be salvaged from the fire.  The only thing she has left is her dog.

Edward Cantrell was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg.  He had recently returned from Afghanistan.