MPM called for FENZ to withdraw its report on the SkyCity fire. Photo / NIWA
MPM called for FENZ to withdraw its report on the SkyCity fire. Photo / NIWA
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has rejected a call by MPM Waterproofing to withdraw its report into the SkyCity convention centre fire.
Onehunga-based MPM Waterproofing supplied the materials which were being applied on October 22 when the fire broke out. It also worked with a subcontractor to supply the staff to install the membrane.
MPM Waterproofing, a subcontractor to Fletcher Construction, released a statement strongly rejecting the report out this morning and calling for it to be withdrawn.
Fire and Emergency region manager Ron Devlin said the investigation team worked with investigators engaged by various parties involved in the New Zealand International Convention Centre construction project to ensure there was a common information base.
"Many of MPM's concerns were brought to our attention during that process. We believe they've been appropriately considered, along with all the other relevant evidence and commentary," he said.
Devlin said the report was independently peer reviewed prior to release.
"While other parties are free to express their own views about the cause and origin of the fire, we are confident about the conclusions we have reached," he said.
MPM objected to mention of materials and has demanded FENZ withdraw the report.
The FENZ report said cardboard inside one of the waterproofing membrane rolls smouldered for 38 minutes just after midday, before it ignited causing the 10-day fire.
"Immediately following the International Convention Centre fire in October 2019 a number of inaccurate statements were made and reported in the press in relation to the cause of the fire and those people responsible for it," MPM said today.
"The assertions made at that time have proved to be completely untrue and MPM Waterproofing's concerns over those assertions have proved to be well founded," it said.
"MPM Waterproofing has now been provided with a copy of the official report. FENZ investigators say they 'believed' the cause of the fire to be 'an inadvertent ignition of the cardboard centre of a roll of waterproofing membrane'," the company said.
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MPM Waterproofing had reviewed the report "and believe it contains a considerable number of factual inaccuracies. As with the initial suggestions as to the cause of the fire already referred to, MPM Waterproofing has voiced its concern to FENZ about the content of the report and the accuracy of the conclusions made in it," it said.
It would be appropriate for FENZ to retract the report while further consideration was given to concerns and the matter was the subject of further investigation, MPM said.
The business was one of the longest standing waterproofing and torch-on membrane businesses in New Zealand, it said.
A number of its management and senior staff had more than 20 years of experience in torch-on membrane operations involving literally tens of thousands of individual contracts. The company's record for safety in all respects including fire related issues is second to none in the country, it said.
