Q1 fire: Safety officers probe tower after Gold Coast smoke drama

Safety officers have launched a probe into Australia’s tallest residential tower amid concern from occupants caught in Monday’s fire smoking out the highrise. Read the update

Fire safety officers are conducting a probe into Australia’s tallest residential tower amid concern from occupants in the wake of Monday’s bin fire smoke-logging the highrise.

Nine people were hospitalised in stable conditions after a fire caused smoke to rise up the Surfers Paradise tower to at least the 72nd floor.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman confirmed safety assessment officers were conducting an inspection of the property following the drama.

She said the fire investigation unit had finalised its probe into fire, which “confirmed the fire started in a rubbish compactor on the ground floor, however the cause was undetermined.”

Smoke in the hallways of the Q1 building on Monday. Picture: 9 News Gold Coast

Multiple residents said an internal stairwell was filled with smoke, while others claimed they didn’t hear a “single word” from management within the first 10 minutes of the fire.

In conflicting accounts, a resident of the 14th floor Jim Vimer said after the alarm an evacuation order rang out to leave immediately via a service lift.

Some did not hear any alarm go off in the building.

Gold Coast Southern Fire Command’s Glenn McKissack, at the scene on the day, said some residents had stayed inside, some evacuated of their own accord but were not required to.

The Q1 resort and spa building in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Ryan Keen

It’s not the first time concerns have shrouded the supertower - in 2008, one of two fire escapes in the high-rise was deemed defective as it could fill with smoke during a blaze.

At the time, Queensland’s building regulator commissioned an engineering report which found the stairwell from levels three to 74 was defective due to the smoke issue.

Builder Sunland was then issued with a “request to rectify” the defect within 28 days.

It was still unresolved in 2011.

On Tuesday, the Bulletin’s questions to Sunland about whether the defect had ever been fixed went unanswered despite multiple calls and emails made to the group.

A Queensland Building and Construction Commission spokeswoman said it was not aware of any issues regarding the tower.

“QFES have the function of ensuring that building owners properly maintain fire safety installations,” she said.

A QFES spokeswoman said the Q1 building was found to be compliant with owner-occupier requirements when it was inspected last year.

Residents and holidaymakers evacuated from Q1 in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

Shortly after an alarm sounded on Monday, 23rd floor residents Phoebe Scherrer and Kye Gill said “smoke came out” of the building’s stairwell when they opened its door to use it.

Mr Gill said: “We started panicking a bit at that point and went to the other stairwell and legged it down 23 floors.”

Toowoomba visitor Wendy also reported seeing smoke in the stairwell on the 72nd floor.

“There was smoke and I’m an asthmatic. We were worried because there was smoke coming from the stairwell,” she said.

Paramedics responding to the fire at the Q1. Picture: Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS)

21st floor resident Dan Eagles criticised what he claimed was a lack of communication from building management during the drama.

“They do fire testing all the time with announcements, the one time a real fire happens, not a single word from management after the alarm was going for 10 minutes,” Mr Eagles said.

“Then I opened my door and smelled the smoke and got the f**k out.

“Management have a lot to answer for - not announcing something so serious.”

Melbourne holidaymaker Lyn Short told media at the scene said she did not hear fire alarms go off.

“Within the hotel, we had no smoke detectors going off, we had no warning systems - there was nothing,” she said.

Emails and calls to Q1 management requesting a response to the residents’ concerns went unanswered.

They did not respond to a number of issues raised, including questions asking whether they had an emergency evacuation plan in place and if management alerted residents in the minutes after the fire started.