Fire risk is always with us both during construction and within completed buildings.  

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has released the Fire Investigation Report determining the cause and origin of the fire at the New Zealand International Conference Centre in central Auckland on 22 October 2019.

The convention centre was a large building of seven levels with a total floor area of 32,500 square metres.

The NZICC was a new building under construction. It was approximately 120 m by 80 m, had 7 levels and a total floor space of 32,500 m2.
It was due for completion in 2020. The core construction was largely concrete flooring and pillars with a waterproof membrane covered roof supported by steel trusses that covered Level 6 (lower roof) and Level 7 (upper roof), refer Image 3. The buildings‟ external walls were largely a mix of concrete slab construction and open area enclosed with glass facades.

The building was designed with comprehensive fire protection systems incorporating both active and
passive systems, although the upper levels were not operational due to the ongoing construction.

It was a large and dangerous fire and had a serious impact on the city of Auckland. During the fire crews from all over Auckland, as well as staff from across New Zealand assisted in bringing the fire under control.

At the fire’s peak there were around 150 firefighters at the scene and up to 30 fire appliances .

The subsequent cause and origin investigation into the NZ International Conference Centre fire concluded the cause of the fire was accidental.

Investigators found the fire was inadvertently caused when the top layers of a waterproofing membrane – or cap sheet – were being laid on the roof of the convention centre.

Because of the significance and complexity of the conference centre fire, Fire and Emergency NZ had its investigation report independently peer reviewed.

The independent peer reviewers Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC.) They agreed with the investigators’ conclusions.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Fire Investigation report into the New Zealand International Conference Centre fire can be found here.