Q1 fire: Fury over secret safety probe into Surfers Paradise tower
Queensland’s fire service has refused to reveal the results of a safety probe into Australia’s tallest residential tower following last week’s fire.
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Queensland’s fire service has refused to reveal the results of a safety probe into Australia’s tallest residential tower following last week’s fire, citing “confidentiality” reasons.
The building’s residents and holidaymakers have been in the dark since a bin fire caused smoke to clog the Q1 tower to at least the 72nd floor last Monday.
Opposition spokesman for emergency services Dale Last is calling for safety probe findings to be released, saying “residents of Q1 deserve full disclosure”.
Last week, safety assessment officers inspected the Surfers Paradise property after the drama which saw 100s evacuate. This was separate to the investigation into the cause of the fire, confirmed to have “started in a rubbish compactor on the ground floor”.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said it was working with Q1 building management to “ensure owner-occupier requirements are met”.
The spokeswoman said QFES would not release safety review results due to “confidentiality requirements”.
“In instances where building fire safety non-compliance is identified, QFES takes appropriate action to ensure the safety of building occupants is restored,” she said.
“This can include any or all of the following: defect rectification notices, penalty infringement notices or prosecution through the magistrates court.
“Due to the confidentiality requirements outlined in section 153A of the Fire and Emergency Act 1990, QFES is unable to disclose specific details relating to the inspection findings.”
Mr Last questioned why the results had not been shared if the investigation was complete.
“We need to give investigators time to ensure that all aspects are thoroughly examined but, when the investigation is complete, the residents of Q1 deserve full disclosure of all the circumstances and results of the investigation,” he said.
Mr Last said the legislation did not prevent sharing of information with building owners and occupants.
“I’d call on all parties, whether private or government, to ensure the information is shared in a timely manner in the interests of the safety of residents,” he said.
Q1 residents and guests say they haven’t heard anything from building management a week on.
It includes NSW holidaymaker Claire Kosac, one of nine hospitalised in stable conditions, who suffered smoke inhalation.
Mrs Kosac and her husband became “stuck” in the building’s stairwell when they tried to evacuate.
“I thought I was going to die. Smoke was pouring in, people were trying to get into the stairwell and we couldn’t move forward.
“We were stuck there for a little while until everything started moving forward again.
“While we were stuck, I was thinking ‘oh my goodness, we might not get out of this’.
“I sent a text to my sister saying ‘there’s a fire, we’re evacuating, if I don’t make it out, I love you’.”
Q1 resident John Wilson said he’d not heard from management, but had a letter saying they would be kept informed.
Fellow resident Kye Gill had also not heard from management since the fire.
“The fact they haven’t told us what the go was and what they’re doing to fix it - it’s a bit of a worry,” he said.
Q1 was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline.
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