TRIPLE TRAGEDY

Grief has engulfed Walkerswood in St Ann after three young siblings perished in a fire that completely destroyed their home in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The police have identified the victims as sisters Tashawna Mattis, 7, and Tashawnie Mattis, 4, and their brother Tavarno Mattis, 2, all of Cottage District in Walkerswood. Their bodies were found on a bed after the fire was put out.

A fourth sibling, five-year-old Tadane Mattis, who was asleep in another room with his grandmother, Robin Roach, escaped unhurt along with Roach.

The police say the four children were left at home by their mother, 24-year-old Tanique Wilson, who had gone to visit her boyfriend elsewhere in the community.

During the night, about 2:00 a.m., Roach reportedly saw fire coming from the room occupied by the three children, raised an alarm, and exited the room she was in with the fourth child.

“While outside, an explosion was heard coming from the room where the children were. The house was engulfed with flames shortly thereafter, and that section of the house collapsed,” the police report stated.

About 2:35 a.m., Roach phoned her other daughter in White River and told her about the fire. That daughter then called Wilson’s boyfriend and told him about the fire at Wilson’s house and that three of the children had died.

Fire units from the Ocho Rios and St Ann’s Bay fire stations responded to the call and put out the blaze.

The bodies of the three children were seen on a bed cuddled together. It appeared that they were asleep when the fire occurred.

Too late to help

Speaking with reporters, the father of the four children, Odain Mattis, said he was at home when he was called and told about the fire, but it was too late for him to do anything to help.

He said he had previously urged their mother to leave them with him when she was going out.

“She lef mi inna the square tan up yah suh. Mi jus come from work,” he said.

“Normally when she a go out, mi tell har, ‘When yuh a guh bout yuh business, mek mi youth dem come a my yard and spend di night ‘til you come back’,” Mattis told reporters. “She lef me inna di square and nuh seh nutten to mi. Mi frighten mi hear seh mih youth dem bun up an’ dead inna fire. Only one a dem coulda save outta four pickney.”

He said the children were with him last week and he took them back to their mother on Friday.

Yesterday Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, along with sorrow, expressed outrage over the circumstances around the tragedy.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose three innocent lives in such a preventable manner. Every Jamaican child deserves to grow up in a safe environment, and this incident brings into sharp focus the gaps in vigilance and responsible parenting we face as a nation,” Holness said. “While we understand the economic demands on parents, particularly single-parent households, there can be no excuse for leaving children unattended or with little or no supervision, particularly in cases that could not be considered an emergency.

“As parents, we must do more to ensure our children are cared for and protected at all times. That is not a responsibility any parent can transfer to another lightly.”

In light of the tragedy, the Government sought to remind parents and guardians of their moral duty to their children and their legal responsibilities under the Child Care and Protection Act.

Holness has directed the relevant authorities to investigate the incident thoroughly and provide support to the families and the community.

Sunday morning’s incident followed a similar fatal occurrence in which a five-year-old girl died in a fire in Whitehall, St Andrew on January 8.

Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, expressed grief at the “tragic” incident, describing it as “painful”.

“This is another painful moment that draws sharp attention to the critical importance of fire prevention and fire safety. My heart goes out to the remaining family and friends, and I am especially thinking about the children’s grandmother and the lone grandchild, just five years old, who survived the fire,” McKenzie said in a release.

“Last year, 27 people died, 79 people were injured, and 1,600 people lost their homes because of fires. I am urging every Jamaican to use today’s terrible tragedy to decide, once and for all, that together, we will prevent incidents like these from happening again,” the minister urged.

McKenzie said the Jamaica Fire Brigade is ramping up its public-education activities through the Fire and Life Safety Programme to enhance fire prevention and fire- safety measures.

In the meantime, in a joint statement, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information urged greater vigilance for children’s safety and fire preparedness.

“The Child Protection and Family Services Agency and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information are appealing to parents and guardians to prioritise vigilance in safeguarding children and to adopt fire-safety measures at home.

Dr Dana Morris Dixon, the minister of education, skills, youth and information, in expressing sorrow at the incident, said, “The heartbreaking loss of these young lives is deeply distressing and serves as a painful reminder of the vulnerabilities children face in cases of emergency.”

She said, at the time, that CPFSA first responders were on their way to the scene of the incident to assess the situation and “provide on-spot grief counselling for the surviving family members, identify any other children who may now require care, and offer support such as food, clothing, and assistance in replacing essential documents”.

A team from the education ministry will visit the children’s schools today to offer counselling and emotional support to classmates, teachers, and other members of the school community.

Laurette Adams-Thomas, the CPFSA’s chief executive officer, said her team quickly provided support to the grieving family, referring the children’s mother and surviving sibling to the Ministry of Justice’s Victim Support Unit for trauma counselling.

“We also referred the family to Food For the Poor to supply them with emergency provisions such as food and care items. These tragedies are unimaginable losses that no family should have to endure,” Adams-Thomas said.

Dr Kenneth Russell, candidate caretaker for South East St Ann, said he was “completely shattered and devastated by the tragic fire”.

He added that the Government’s declaration of support was reassuring.

editorial@gleanerjm.com