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Arthur McElhill, 39, his partner Lorraine McGovern, 30, and their five children, Caroline, 13, Sean, 7, Bellina, 4, Clodagh, 19 months and James, who was nine months old, were all killed in the blaze on 13 November 2007.听 Arthur McElhill, a registered sex offender, is believed to have started the fire deliberately. Our reporter in the west Julian Fowler covered the story and reflects on the impact the tragedy has had.

My memories of that morning.

I can remember the cold and the gloom that hung over Lammy. Even with all the fire engines, and later the journalists and tv satellite trucks which arrived to report听 the story - there was a stillness. We were standing outside St Conor's Primary School which should have been noisy with the sounds of children arriving - including 2 of the McElhill children Sean and Bellina. There was obviously the sense of shock and disbelief at what had happened. At that stage it was the story of a family tragedy - 7 people dying in an intense blaze in their own home 6 weeks before Christmas. It was only the following day that the police said they were treating the house as a crime scene and then announced that this was a murder inquiry, that there had been petrol scattered around the house and that someone, believed to be Arthur McElhill, had set the house alight deliberately.听 It was one of the most difficult stories I've had to cover as a reporter - and it can be very difficult to find the right words to express the magnitude of such a tragedy. But for me it was the images which told the story. The burnt out shell of the house, the twisted metal of a bunk bed which you could see in the childrens' bedroom through an upstairs window, the toys abandoned in the back yard, and 3 days later - the bodies being removed in white vans through a guard of honour formed by firefighters and teachers, accompanied by the haunting voice of a female soloist.

One year on how much more do we know about what happened?

Well we still don't know what the trigger point was that led to this tragedy. Although it has been widely reported that Arthur McElhill, a convicted sex offender, started the fire which killed his family, even at this stage that has never been officially confirmed by the police, although they have said the fire was started inside the house and that they're not looking for anyone else. Indeed the police have only just finished their investigation in the last few weeks and their report is being sent to the coroners office. So we would expect at some stage for an inquest to be held. You may remember that the courage shown that night by the eldest daughter 13 year old Caroline has been praised - she was described by the police as an emblem of innocence. She tried to get help and made a 999 call to the fire brigade - her body was found upstairs with her mobile phone in one hand and her rosary beads in the other. There has already been one inquiry ordered by the health minister into what the different agencies who had dealings with the family knew and whether the tragedy could have been prevented. It revealed a number of serious failures by social services who failed to communicate the risks posed by Arthur McElhill and ignored earlier cries for help from Caroline. That report made 63 recommendations to better protect children but concluded that no one could have foreseen what would happen at Lammy Crescent - although the number of failings it highlighted left many people in the community feeling that indeed this was a tragedy that could have been prevented.

What has been the affect on the community?

Well they still live with the shell of the house in the heart of their community. It has been repainted, and its got a temporary roof and the windows are boarded up, but its a daily reminder about what happened a year ago, and it is right next door to St Conor's Primary school. At the time the school's principal said they would have a constant visual reminder of this tragedy for a long time to come, but many neighbours feel it is long enough and they want the house pulled down. They have asked the McElhill family which owns the property to meet them to discuss what to do with it. St Conor's Primary and Sacred Heart College will be holding special assembles, and there'll be an anniversary mass tomorrow.