Deck drop: 'It's lucky no one died'

Auckland Council plans to check building consents and applications relating to the deck of the Glen Eden house. Photo / Greg Bowker

The owners of a house where a deck collapsed, sending about 20 people and a hot barbecue plummeting to the ground, say it was lucky no one was killed.

Emergency services were called to a Glen Eden house just after 10pm on Saturday after the wooden deck gave way during a house-warming party.

Party-goer Jason Robinson, 24, broke his ankle and was last night awaiting surgery to insert a pin into his foot. Another woman also broke her ankle.

The house is owned by a young builder and his partner, who moved in just a couple of weeks ago.

"I was on the deck ... We were pretty much just having a barbecue and the deck just gave way," said the builder, who did not want his name published.

"Everyone just fell. There was only one way for them to go."

His partner said there was no warning before the deck came away from the side of the house, but a huge bang as it collapsed.

"Luckily we had a few friends here who were paramedics, firemen and police - so they were able to take charge and keep people pretty calm," she said.

The couple had a building inspection done before buying the house.

"So we didn't feel like we should have to check our own home. It's pretty obvious looking at it today though that it [the deck] has been built pretty horribly ... pretty shoddily. I don't know how it's been signed off really," the builder said.

He said it appeared the deck had simply been nailed into the side of the house, rather than fixed to a supporting structure to reinforce it and make it stable. "I don't even know how it's been connected at all. It's just floating there."

An Auckland Council spokeswoman said it was likely the matter would be looked into this week - including searching through building consents and applications relating to the deck.