KEY POINTS:
A fire which forced the evacuation of 28 people from an Auckland building yesterday is being treated as arson.
The fire, in the Seafarers' Union building on Auckland's waterfront, started in a second-floor lounge at 5am.
Many of those staying in the seven-storey Seafarers' Union were elderly sailors. Some were not woken up by the alarm and had to be saved by firemen or helped down the fire escape. Two men were taken to hospital.
Witnesses said some exit doors were blocked by mattresses.
Auckland firefighter Ray Coleman said a rubbish bin fire 30m down the road was lit half an hour before the seafarers' fire, and the two may be linked. But manager Eddie Harris said the doors were locked and there was no sign of a break-in.
"We have to find out who wants to burn us down. It would have to be someone from the inside," said Harris.
The alarm was raised by Norman Griffin, woken by smoke alarms on the fifth floor.
"The smoke was coming up the stairwells on to our floor. I wasn't sure if anyone else had called the fire guys. So on my way out, I smashed the alarm, and I'm glad I did," said Griffin.
Sekope Moce, first mate on Fijian ship Surprise, said he woke up when he heard the fire alarm. He rushed out of his room to see smoke blocking the way to the fire exit. So with 12 others, he headed for the roof.
"I was yelling every name I knew. I was worried about my friends." Moce and others were saved from the roof by ladders raised from fire engines.
But there was an 11-minute delay in a second ladder arriving, as the initial report only asked for one ladder.
Boyd Raines, of the Firefighters Union, said the fire service has been sending less trucks to fires to cut costs.
"It was sitting in the station when lives were at risk. It's mismanagement by the fire service. It's cheque-book risk management."
The fire service says it will now reverse the policy.
Harris, who walks with a Zimmer frame, was the closest to the fire. His flat on the third floor is directly above the lounge. As he made his way down the hall, Pieter Gouter saw him from the fire escape and came to his aid.
"I went towards the smoke door, but I could see all the smoke, and it was a waste of time. So I went to the fire escape and [Gouter] gave me a hand. I just slid down the bannister, more or less," said Harris.
Gouter was humble about his rescue efforts. "Anyone could have done what I did. I would feel pretty guilty about leaving these guys behind. Everyone got out, so they were lucky."
The fire service said the incident highlighted the importance of sprinkler systems and proper safety procedures. There were no sprinklers in the building and the smoke-stop doors to the lounge were wedged open.
Reverend John Marcon, Seafarers' Centre chaplin, said they would be trying to get clothes from the City Mission and find shelter. "A lot of these guys have not got much. But anything they lose is important for them."
