Byron Bay fire: Mum of twins speaks on tragedy in Instagram post

The mum of twin four-year-old girls who died following a house fire near Byron Bay on Sunday has spoken out for the first time since the freak tragedy.

Akira Garton wrote on Instagram about the horror of waking up on day three of her “beautiful bunnikins” no longer being with her.

“No more mumma, no more hands, no more smiles, no more dancing,” she wrote in the heartbreaking post.

Ophelia and Tarrow were killed after a fire broke out in their bedroom in the early hours of the morning in Goonengerry at one of 20 homes in a Byron Bay hinterland commune.

Emergency services were called to the property just after 4am on Sunday, following reports two children were suffering from smoke inhalation.

NSW Ambulance paramedics attempted to perform CPR on the sisters but they were unable to be revived and were pronounced dead at the scene.

It is understood Ophelia and Tarrow were spending the weekend with their father, James Wright, at the Nunkeri multi-occupancy commune where his girlfriend lives.

The 20-home commune is situated on 100 acres of farmland and was established in the Byron Bay hinterland more than 30 years ago.

GoFundMe pages have been set up for both the girls’ mother, Akira Garton, and their father to help with funeral costs and provide some relief in this challenging time.

In a heartbreaking new revelation, it has been revealed Ms Garton learned her twins’ deaths via a phone call from Superintendent Dave Roptell.

“It’s a very, very sad and tough thing for those police officers to have to do,” Mr Roptell told 7 News.

“But they’re doing OK, and we are continuing to monitor their welfare.”

Mum speaks out in heartbreaking post

The grieving mum spoke out for the first time on Tuesday, expressing her disbelief in a heartwrenching post to Instagram.

“Thank you for every thought, word, text, missed call and gesture. Words cannot express waking up to Day 3 of these beautiful bunnikins not here,” she wrote.

“No more mumma, no more hands, no more smiles, no more dancing, no more moments like this, happy, so happy – October 13 2021,” she said, referring to a photo of her with Ophelia and Tarrow.

“I’m devastated. It was too early. I never thought I’d use social media to communicate this.

I will try to respond when I can and have words beyond disbelief.”

Her dad, Andrew Garton, also took to social media Tuesday morning to detail his grief over his family’s “unimaginable loss”.

“My dear friends, you may have seen, read or heard news of the tragic, unimaginable loss of twin girls in Northern NSW this weekend past,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

“They were my granddaughters Tarrow and Ophelia, I have never asked for much but today I ask that if you can, please help Akira, my daughter through this challenging time. There are two families grieving we need your strength and support,” he said, sharing a link to a GoFundMe page.

Mum’s worst nightmare became reality

In a message on one of the fundraisers Tarrow and Ophelia’s grandfather, Mr Garton, said “every mother’s worst nightmare suddenly became a reality” for Ms Garton on Sunday when she was told that her daughters had lost their lives in a house fire.

“Tarrow and Ophelia were bright, playful, identical twins that had a sparkle in their eyes and angelic features. They loved and adored their older sister Maitreya so so much … just as they were loved and adored by all close to them,” Mr Garton wrote.

“There is no word in English for a parent who loses their child, and there shouldn’t be. It is an unthinkable tragedy. Akira and her family are shattered to the core; they have an unbearable amount of grief to carry and heartbreaking pain to endure.”

The message described Ms Garton as a single mother with an “extraordinary amount of expenses ahead of her” and asked the community for help supporting her during this time.

The GoFundMe page said any money would allow her to be present for her seven-year-old daughter and would cover her loss of income while she is unable to run her business.

“A loss of this magnitude is almost unimaginable, and to even try is quite unbearable. A sorrow this complete takes away even the ability to breathe, the previously normal act of simply existing becoming a terrifying and seemingly impossible territory. Akira will need us, all of us, to survive this loss,” Mr Garton wrote.

Fatal fire likely started by a candle

Reports suggest Mr Wright and his partner may have been at a bonfire on the commune and returned to the home to find smoke billowing out of the bedroom.

Investigators believe the fatal fire may have been started by a candle left on top of a piano in the room where the girls were sleeping.

Police are investigating whether the candle may have caused the piano to smoulder and create plumes of toxic smoke.

7News reports that a lawyer acting on behalf of the twins’ mother, Ms Garton, asked investigators to look into why Ophelia and Tarrow were unattended at the time of the fire.

There is no suggestion Mr Wright has done anything wrong.

“She wants to know why the children were not attended,” a friend told The Daily Telegraph. “She is strangely calm but yet heartbroken. She went to the commune yesterday and said she needed to see where her girls had died.”

Dad ‘inconsolable’ after tragedy

Mr Wright was reportedly “inconsolable” after the horrific incident, collapsing on the ground and screaming “no” when he returned home to find smoke billowing out of the girls’ bedroom, according to The Daily Telegraph.

“He was on the floor on his knees, he was crying no no, he was inconsolable,” a woman from the commune told the publication.

She said Mr Wright loved his daughters and “took them everywhere with him”.

The publication also revealed a woman placed a frantic call to emergency services on Sunday, telling the operator, “Hurry, the babies can’t breathe”.

Mr Wright is well-known in the area for his political activism, and ran as the Ballina candidate for the independent political party Keep Sydney Open in 2019.

Police Superintendent Dave Roptell said the piano – which is believed to have caught fire from a candle – was in the same room as the two girls and was “fairly close” to where they were sleeping.

“It’s unbelievably devastating (for the community). It’s a tragic set of circumstances,” he told reporters on Sunday.

“The police that turned up and the other emergency services who were there did an exceptional job and did try their best to save those poor young people’s lives.”

Superintendent Roptell wouldn’t confirm who first noticed the smoke and raised the alarm when asked about reports that a party had been going on nearby when the incident occurred.

“There were people present in a proximity to where the incident occurred,” he said.

“The people at the scene went in to check and saw what they saw and police were called.

“We’re making further inquiries into who actually identified the situation in the first instance.”

Community rallies behind family

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with the Ophelia and Tarrow’s funeral costs.

Mullumbimby resident, Steve Wright, set up the fundraiser on Monday, which has now received more than $20,000 in donations.

“Early on Sunday morning November the 7th our dear Jimmi lost his darling girls, Ophelia and Tarrow to a tragic house fire. These beautiful little fairies left this earth too soon, and the loss for Jimmi and family is unspeakable,” the page reads.

“It is now for us, his friends and family, to come together and create a legacy of lasting love and support.

“Aside from the onslaught of grief and sorrow, that is already devastating the family, there is an impending slew of debt, funeral costs, and day-to-day expenses that we hope to cover through this collection.”

The page states Mr Wright “desperately needs financial support” during this time “so he might find the space to begin the healing process and continue supporting his surviving 7-year-old daughter”.

Community members have also been leaving floral tributes at the property, with a note on one of the bouquets left in the mailbox of the home reading, “No words … mourning with you”.

Investigations into the tragic incident are continuing, with detectives from the Tweed/Byron PD working with fire investigators.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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