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A central city hotel has been prosecuted for having an inadequate fire alarm system, after firefighters responding to an alarm callout found the system was not working on every level.
The owners of the Rainbow Hotel - a three-storey, 100-room building in Nelson St - pleaded guilty to a charge under the Building Act of using a building for a use for which it was not safe, and were fined $12,500.
Raven's Fire and Security Ltd, a company that had inspected the hotel and certified its fire system was compliant, was also charged, as was company director Raven Kumar.
Kumar and the company pleaded not guilty and appeared in the District Court last week. The court found the defendants guilty, and the judge said a loss of life would have been likely in the event of a fire at the hotel.
The maximum penalty for each defendant is a fine of $100,000, and sentencing will take place on July 22.
Russell Dickson of the Fire Service's fire safety department says whether Raven's may have incorrectly certified other buildings is a concern, and the department is working with Auckland City Council to check this.
