Investigations are underway into what went wrong in evacuating Wellington’s Loafers Lodge last night.<\/p>\n
The 92-room, short-term accommodation block had fire alarms, a smoke extraction system and two stairwells to get out, but did not have sprinklers.<\/p>\n
“There’s not a requirement for sprinklers but it would have been a good idea,” said Charlie Loughnan, a Christchurch fire protection specialist of 25 years and ex-firefighter.<\/p>\n
“But sprinklers are expensive so people don’t tend to put them in unless they have to.”<\/p>\n
A 13-part, four-page compliance schedule for a Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) at Loafers Lodge shows it had a type three fire alarm.<\/p>\n
This alarm was triggered by heat, typically at 57 degrees Celsius, Loughnan said.<\/p>\n
“That means if you stuff a waste paper basket full of newspaper and set it alight in the corner of the room it would be going really well by the time the system activates.<\/p>\n
“You are on fire and the clock is ticking fast.”<\/p>\n
However, the BWOF also showed supplementary smoke alarms in the corridors and separate alarms in the bedrooms.<\/p>\n
“I would guess this system was installed between 1998 and 2004, so is pretty old but should function OK,” Loughnan said.<\/p>\n
Fresh from a briefing by officials earlier today, Housing Minister Megan Wood said the safety requirements “were all being met” at Loafers Lodge.<\/p>\n
No concerns were raised when the building was checked by an independent expert just two months ago, she said.<\/p>\n
A Pentecostal church used to be run out of the Loafers building, which was called the Lifepoint Building in the 1990s. It also housed Westpac bank’s Newtown branch.<\/p>\n
Its first building warrant of fitness as Loafers Lodge was issued in February 2010, and most recently renewed on 2 March this year – by which stage it had been expired for a week – according to Wellington City Council records.<\/p>\n
The change of use around this time – apparently from a church to a lodge, though that has so far not been confirmed by council\u00a0records<\/a>\u00a0– was required to be notified to the Wellington City Council.<\/p>\n Loughnan said the capital was unusual in the number of old buildings turned into accommodation.<\/p>\n Sometimes when a change of use was sought, checks were run by Fire and Emergency.<\/p>\n Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said she was not aware FENZ had ever inspected the building in Adelaide Rd.<\/p>\n “As far as I know, I haven’t been advised so.”<\/p>\n Loughnan said the fire appeared to have spread rapidly and believed it got into a “safe path” and prevented people from being able to escape.<\/p>\n “Safe paths” include stairwells, which the rules say should be painted with non-combustible paint.<\/p>\n The BWOF attests to annual checks undertaken by an IQP, or Independent Qualified Person, of the 13 safety systems – out of a possible 16 – which the 1970s, five-to-six-level Loafers block had.<\/p>\n