Investigators work through weekend on Lisa Morris-Julian death

MEMBERS of the three-person team named to investigate the tragic death of Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris-Julian and her two children have worked through the weekend and more, as they seek to meet a two-week deadline set by Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds.

The D'Abadie/O'Meara MP and former Arima mayor died in a blaze at her family home on Farfan Street, Arima, with her daughter Xianne, 25, and son Jesiah, six, on December 16. Reports are Morris-Julian had rushed back into the house to try to save her children, but ended up dying beside them, with subsequent autopsies citing smoke inhalation as their causes of death. The tragedy has prompted a public outpouring of grief, with testimony after testimony as to Morris-Julian's public spiritedness and acts of private kindness to many individuals at a personal level.

On December 20, Hinds named a team to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy including the actions/responses of the fire service at a media briefing at his office where he presented instruments of appointment to the investigators.

Team leader, fire service former head Roosevelt Bruce at Monday midday was rushing into a meeting but gave Newsday a brief update, after reports the team had recently visited Farfan Street and interviewed witnesses.

He said, "I won't go into any details but I can tell you that when we left that briefing on Friday, we started work immediately. So we worked Friday night into Saturday. We worked Sunday, and as we speak we are on duty now gathering as much information as we can."

Newsday pressed for details, such as whether the team was adequately resourced or was facing any impediments, to which Bruce said he would only reply after first talking to the National Security Council. Newsday asked for his personal opinion on how difficult it is for him and his colleagues emotionally to do an investigation into such a tragic event.

Bruce replied, "Yes, it will have its emotional effect, but I think we are focused on fulfilling the mandate of the terms of reference and we are continuing along that line.

"I have to leave now because we have another interview that I need to get into now."

The terms of reference (TORs) ask the team to examine the fire service’s response to the fire; its general policies, procedures and practices for a fire; and the operations of the Arima and Tunapuna Fire Stations on December 16, including the availability of officers, equipment, water and vehicles.

The probe will examine the fire service's “steps, decisions and actions” in tackling the fire.

Reports are the fire tender from Arima Fire Station was busy tackling an industrial fire, and meanwhile a tender was dispatched from Tunapuna Fire Station.

The TORs also include probing the availability of a water supply on Farfan Street on that fateful day, amid conflicting accounts between the authorities, with the fire service alleging a shortage in the area but Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales saying that was not so.

Hinds had said investigators would examine reports on the tragedy by the fire service, WASA, police service, forensic science centre, T&TEC, National Command Centre, and the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), the latter including the use of CCTV video footage, and interview eye-witnesses.

Hinds said the committee would prepare a comprehensive written report on its "findings, observations and recommendations."