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MP Lisa Morris- Julian and her son Jesiah in 2020 during an interview with Newsday. - D’ABADIE/O’MEARA MP Lisa Morris-Julian is being remembered as a kind, caring and helpful woman who dedicated her life to serving people, her community and her country.
Morris-Julian, 48, died in a tragic early-morning fire at her Farfan Street, Arima home on December 16, which also claimed the lives of two of her children.
Police say the fire began at around 5.30 am while eight people were at home.
Morris-Julian's body was found in a bedroom on the eastern side of the house with her youngest child, six-year-old Jesiah Julian.
The body of her eldest, Xianne, 25, was found in another bedroom on the northern side of the house.
Eyewitnesses said the fire made the roof collapse, trapping Morris-Julian as she tried to escape with her son.
Morris-Julian’s other two children and her sister escaped without injury.
Her husband Daniel Julian was injured and is warded at the Arima hospital along with Edward Allen, the boyfriend of one of her daughters.
Julian was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to prevent infections to his burns.
The fire was extinguished by firefighters from the Arima, Tunapuna, and Port of Spain Fire Stations, but left the home completely gutted.
Within hours of her tragic death, hundreds of people gathered and wept nearby as they paid their respects, tried to offer words of comfort to her family and looked at the burnt structure.
Moments after the caution tape was removed – and the dozens of fire officers, police officers and soldiers left – Morris-Julian’s burgesses moved nearer to the house, speaking in hushed tones and with tear-filled eyes as they stared at the burnt walls and broken windows.
Jesiah Julian -
A group of women gathered nearby told Newsday Morris-Julian was always willing to do what she could to uplift the community and improve other people’s lives.
“She was a beautiful woman and the best mayor! She was always going from people to people. She was a godly and loving person. Words can’t express how I feeling,” said an elderly woman who stood sobbing as she spoke.
Another woman, named Rose, added, “She was always there, ready and willing to help, if you go and talk to her. It’s a sad time for Arima.”
Another woman, standing in her work uniform, with tear-streaked cheeks, said she was on her way to work when she received the news, and came straight to Morris-Julian’s home.
“I know Lisa a while. We had a good relationship, and when I heard the news I couldn’t believe it. I thought I should come to make sure and see how her family is doing.”
She added, “Lisa cared for the burgesses and the people of Arima. Her aim was always to uplift Arima. She even lived in the heart of Arima. That shows you how connected she was to the community.”
Cabinet colleagues: 'We have lost a sister'
Several of Morris-Julian’s cabinet colleagues were seen crying outside the gutted home as Communications Minister Symon de Nobriga described her as a sister and "one of the loveliest human beings I have ever met.”
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly was inconsolable as she wept with a handkerchief over her eyes, her body heaving as she cried, while Planning Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson and another woman supported her.
De Nobriga said the turnout of cabinet colleagues, MPs and Arima residents spoke volumes about the person she was and how people felt about her.
“I am broken today. I have lost not just a colleague, I have lost a sister. I think we are all just here to lend support to the people who are important to her, to lend support to each other and whatever we can do, we just want to be around.”
Xianne Julian -
Recalling their time together as local government officials, he said he always considered her a mentor.
He said her death has hit the party hard.
“Lisa was an example (of service to country) for me. I think that if you ask any of her colleagues, any of her constituents, any of the burgesses of Arima from her time as mayor, I think that they would agree with that.
“It obviously will be a great loss for us, as a party, and as a team. It's a massive gap that is that has opened and I don't think there are words that you could come up with, that I could come up with, to express exactly how profound that loss is.”
He said the government has already begun considering how it can help and what protocols may be in place for her funeral.
“It is not too early for us to be contemplating (how we can help), but it is most definitely too early to for us to speak on it."
PNM stalwart and former Arima mayor and MP Ashton Ford said he admired Morris-Julian’s humility amid her political progress.
“She was recommended to fight the Arima Central seat, which is a difficult seat for the PNM. We always win and lose, win and lose. And she was able to win that seat comfortably and never looked back. But she had never put up her name to be considered to be a candidate because she was satisfied with her job as mayor.”
He said although Morris-Julian came from a family with deep ties to Arima, her death has been felt across Trinidad and Tobago.
“Her grandfather and I served on the council together and he came after me as mayor. Her great-uncle was also a councillor.
“She was also a playwright. She had a personal life outside of politics. She was a well-rounded individual…
"The entire community, from all the way up the East-West Corridor, will miss Lisa. Her students at Barataria School and people in Arima Central will miss her because she took personal interest in people's lives. She guided many young people too.
"She took them out of danger and adopted children and took them in. So she had a very, very fruitful and, I must say, godly life and I'm sure she will rest in peace.
“She has brought about a unity among the people of TT. We got calls from Tobago with people crying uncontrollably. She was assisting the (PNM) Women's League all over the country and she used to write all the press releases.
"She would always encourage young people to read, because that is one of the hallmarks of being a good politician...to be informed, and she always gave that advice to young people.”
'Fire service was too slow to respond'
As people mourned, some bemoaned the response time of the TT Fire Services (TTFS).
A neighbour told Newsday he believed Morris-Julian’s death was avoidable and blamed the TTFS. He said they took an hour to respond.
“Everybody tried, but we didn’t have any water, and it took some time for the trucks to come and put out the fire.
“We really have a problem with water and the fire trucks in Arima. This could have been avoided if we had another water truck, because we had to use the borough council truck. Those aren’t made for (fighting fires).”
Ford called for an investigation into the response time, saying, “I don’t have a clue about the response, but I know they were not here on time.”
The TTFS, in a media release on December 16, suggested a strain on resources affected the response time.
The Farfan Street, Arima, home of MP Lisa Morris-Julian after it was gutted by fire. Morris-Julian and two of her children, Xianne and Jesiah, died in the early-morning blaze on Monday. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle
“At the time of the incident, the TTFS received the emergency call; however, the nearest fire station in Arima was engaged in an industrial fire, and the Tunapuna Fire Station was simultaneously responding to another house fire."
It said both crews arrived “as quickly as possible” and worked to extinguish the fire, but their efforts were hampered by a lack of water.
De Nobriga said he was told the fire service responded 11 minutes after receiving the report.
He urged people to use this time to remember Morris-Julian rather than cast blame.
“I don't know that it can be truthfully said that there was a lack of a response. But, of course, in the midst of tragedy, it is very easy to start pointing fingers.
“I think right now, from a personal point of view, while we deal with the reality of where we are, it is important to remember Lisa for everything that that she was and she lived for.”
Sending condolences to Morris-Julian’s family, the TTFS said its Fire Prevention Department and the police are continuing investigations.
“This tragic event underscores the importance of empowering communities with the knowledge and tools to reduce fire risks. As we continue to mourn with the national community, the TTFS remains committed to strengthening our emergency response systems and community fire safety education programmes, so that tragic incidents like these would be reduced.”
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