Gold Coast News
A SURFERS Paradise apartment building hit by a fire last week did not have a sprinkler system, stairwell exhaust fans or hydrants on every floor, said firefighters.
The 22-storey International Beach Resort is one of a dozen buildings on the Gold Coast built before 1974 that do not have to comply with more recent fire safety legislation.
The blaze last Thursday night has sparked fears that a death in one of these older buildings could hurt the reputation of the city’s ‘rock solid’ high rises which do comply with legislation.
Guests who were evacuated from the high rise in The Esplanade on Thursday night were yesterday relocated to other accommodation as fire inspectors sought to determine the cause of the blaze and checked for damage.
Fire investigator Marcus Barrett said it appeared the fire, which started on the third floor and spread to levels four and five, was sparked by an electrical fault in the sub-distribution board.
Damage was confined mainly to electrical connections.
United Firefighters Union Gold Coast branch president Mark Gribble said the pre-1970s buildings were a safety hazard and made the job of evacuating and rescuing people ‘immensely difficult’. He estimated there were about 12 such buildings on the Coast.
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