Dozens evacuated from Equinox Resort building in Surfers Paradise after suspicious blaze
He’s the man seen clambering in a panic to escape a Gold Coast high-rise inferno 11 floors up. Hear what he had to say and watch the shocking video of him fleeing the fire.
Gold Coast
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The man who scaled a Surfers Paradise resort building 11 floors up to escape a fierce unit blaze has revealed how he dramatically saved his own life.
Police have also unveiled new details about the cause of high-rise fire, including how it started via a scented candle.
The fire on the 11th floor of the Equinox Resort in Surfers Paradise forced the evacuation of dozens of residents, none more dramatic than resident Andrew Grimson’s.
Police revealed he was in the apartment when it went up in flames, with a woman managing to escape whilst he stayed to try and fight back the flames.
In a panic, and with nowhere to go, he ended up on the balcony and clambered over to another one, smashing his way into a neighbouring unit with a broom handle.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I went to the kitchen sink probably six or eight times and I couldn’t put it out,” he told 9 News Gold Coast.
Mr Grimson added he was lucky he was as tall he was to scale the balconies and hated to think what would have happened if he wasn’t: “If I wasn’t six foot six...”
Shock video shows him clambering over a balcony to flee the flames after the blaze erupted about 12.45am on Sunday.
Emergency services had raced to the Equinox Resort on Main Beach Parade.
The blaze engulfed a unit and a crime scene was declared.
Detectives investigating the fire later deemed it to be non-suspicious.
Footage from the scene showed a man - now known to be Mr Grimson - standing on the balcony railing of a unit just metres away from the flames as the fire raged inside.
He then climbed across to another railing to escape.
Police said the man in his 40s was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Dozens of others were forced to evacuate from the building.
Acting Superintendent Peter Miles, of Gold Coast police, said on Monday a man and a woman were in the unit when, “for whatever reason”, one of four scented candles they were burning overturned.
He said the woman managed to escape while the man - Mr Grimson - stayed to fight the fire.
“It just got beyond him and he found himself on the balcony with a broomstick, thankfully,” Supt Miles told ABC Gold Coast.
“The poor neighbour has woken up to someone trying to smash into his unit to get away from these flames.”
Supt Miles said the neighbour suffered a cut to the chin after he was accidentally struck by the broomstick.
He said all 80-plus residents in the building were safely evacuated, with most able to return.
“It had so much potential to go pear-shaped,” he said.
“It was just an accident that could have turned tragic.”
Supt Miles said the man was fortunate to have escaped the burning unit.
“In an emergency situation, your body can do some amazing things,” he said.
“The balconies are fairly close together so it wasn’t like he was having to set the new world record for long jump.
“But certainly, with the adrenaline pumping, (an) emergency situation, he’s done particularly well to get away from those flames.”
Mr Grimson, in his 40s, was taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries.
“Probably the worst injury was to the neighbour who woke up to a broomstick coming through the window,” Supt Miles said.
“He’s more than happy with just a small laceration compared to what could have happened.”
Paramedics said of the 82 people in the building, four were taken to hospital in stable conditions.
This included a man with minor burns, a man in his 80s who experienced dizziness, a woman in her 80s with chest pain and a man in his 40s with a cut to his head.
Police said everyone in the building was accounted for.
Ten fire crews were called to the scene to douse the blaze, evacuate each level and ventilate the building.
The fire was brought under control around 2am.
“Crews were notified of the fire due to alarm activation and multiple calls to triple zero,” a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said.
“Everyone has since been able to return to the building.”
A woman staying with her parents at the nearby Seacrest Apartments said her father described waking to a “big bang” around 12.45am.
“Then he heard someone shout ‘fire, fire, fire’. We could hear the sirens,” the witness said.
She described watching a man in distress on the balcony of the unit that had caught fire.
“We could see there was a man pacing up and down on a balcony,” the woman said.
“Then the glass doors all shattered - we could hear it from Seacrest.
“The man climbed across the railing to the unit on the other side.
“We were worried he was going to jump. I have never seen a unit fire like it.”
Gold Coast resident Bianca Hockey was having a staycation at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa when she heard an alarm “going off for a good 15 minutes”.
“I decided to look outside and it was already well ablaze,” Ms Hockey said.
“We could see someone on the balcony walking up and down.
“People were screaming ‘fire, get out’.
“QFES, Queensland Ambulance and police should be commended for the prompt response and amount of resources allocated.
“It could have been a much worse outcome.”
QFES is continuing to investigate the exact cause of the fire.
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