Judge halts probe of gas explosion
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WORCESTER -- A judge has ordered the state to
temporarily halt its investigation into the Hopkinton house explosion that
killed two young girls.
Judge Leila Kern issued a temporary restraining order
against the state fire marshal's office minutes before Worcester Superior
Court closed on Friday.
Iris Carey, 4, and Violet Carey, 5, were killed when
an explosion ripped apart their second floor apartment at 1 a.m. on July
24. The girls' parents and eight others escaped from the wreckage.
Attorney John Wozniak requested the order because Tara
and Heath Carey, the girls' parents, want to be a part of the
investigation, and want their own hired experts to have access to evidence
stored at the fire marshal's Stow headquarters, Wozniak said. "We
just don't want an answer, we want the right answer," Wozniak told
The MetroWest Daily News. "It might take a little longer, but two
little girls lost their lives in the explosion."
Wozniak and the Careys fear that evidence may be lost
or destroyed, which would hamper any plans of suing responsible parties,
Wozniak said.
"We can't allow our experts to look at the site,
we've lost that opportunity," he said. "It's of critical
importance all parties be involved in the process."
The Carey's experts have also not been given access to
meters, appliances, pipes and other items taken from the building.
