Safety breaches in boarding house probe spurred by Loafers Lodge fire
Boarding house inspections following the fatal Loafers Lodge fire in May, 2023, have found several cases of missing and damaged fire alarms and fire doors, as well as blocked exits.
Many of the 37 properties inspected by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) also did not meet Healthy Home Standards, with some owners unaware of their obligations.
None of the buildings were identified in the report released yesterday, but the bulk of inspections took place at buildings in the district council areas of Auckland (14), Queenstown Lakes (10) and Wellington City (4).
One or two buildings were inspected in each of Nelson, Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Whangarei, Invercargill, and Hamilton.
Investigators included Fire and Emergency New Zealand representatives and local councils who assessed whether the buildings, which were deemed similar to Loafers Lodge, were vulnerable to fire.
Five people were killed and 20 injured in the Loafers Lodge fire and one person was now facing charges of arson and murder.
The investigators identified 134 issues relating to fire safety and Building Act obligations.
Some have since been resolved by local councils but investigations were ongoing in a small number of serious cases.
Building and Construction Minister Chris
Penk welcomed the report, and was concerned at the fire safety risks identified.
MBIE would review fire safety provisions in the building code and the Government would consider the report once it was finalised, he said.
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said the report highlighted issues similar to those identified by council staff in an audit of 25 Wellington buildings.
“In the wake of the Loafers Lodge tragedy, we have increased our staffing for building compliance and been proactive in working with boarding house owners.
“Often these boarding houses are home to amongst the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our Wellington community.
“We need to do all that we can to make sure they are safe,” she said.
The boarding houses subject to the MBIE inspection ranged in size from two to 14 storeys with the number of beds ranging from five to 350 beds. They did not have fire sprinkler systems.
The inspections took place from August to October, 2023. Another three buildings identified as boarding houses were not inspected as the owners refused entry mainly because they had been subject to recent council inspections.
Of the issues identified, 92 were concerns with fire safety systems – mostly deficiencies with fire and smoke doors.
Many doors did not display fire and smoke resistance ratings, had damaged or missing seals or were held open and could not close in the event of a fire.
In some cases, fire doors appeared to have been removed.
Issues with fire ratings of walls and floors were common and, in some cases, a major concern, the report said.
Some buildings had major damage to walls and partitions, or a lack of fire separation between floors, such as staircases open to all levels.
The report noted that most of the buildings that had issues with fire or smoke separations also had a Building Warrant of Fitness provided by an Independently Qualified Person (IQP) – an offence under the Building Act.
There were nine cases where the fire alarm system was damaged, not working or obstructed and seven cases where alarms were missing.
Escape routes were a major concern in 13 buildings where they were either obstructed, or not adequate, safe or structurally sound.
There were 42 instances of non-compliance with compliance schedule and Building Warrant of Fitness requirements, most likely because systems were installed without a building consent.
The report also found issues identifying what constituted a boarding house, and a lack of basic compliance with Healthy Homes Standards.
There was a lack of understanding from both boarding house operators and other accommodation providers as to what constitutes a tenancy arrangement.
The report writers noted that most of the issues identified had been raised with the relevant councils and many had already been resolved.
“At the most serious end of the spectrum a small number of cases have become investigations and are currently ongoing.”