NI Smoke Alarm Laws 'Flabbergasting', Says Top Coroner

A top Northern Ireland coroner has said he will write to the office of the First and Deputy First Minister to raise concerns about the installation of smoke alarms in multiple occupancy homes.

Speaking at an inquest into the death of two young Polish men, coroner John Leckey said people would be "flabbergasted" to discover the gap in housing safety regulations.

Mr Leckey also said he was concerned the State could be in breach of human rights.

The inquest into the deaths of Bartolomiej Chrobak (29) and Bartolomiej Czerwinski (21) heard how the two men died in a house fire at Camberwell Terrace, north Belfast on April 27, last year.

The two men shared the house with other Polish immigrants, who had travelled to Northern Ireland to work.

Belfast Coroners Court heard that the owner of the property had not installed smoke alarms or fire escapes in the three-storey house.

Landlord Andrew McGibbon, who had purchased the house to redevelop it into apartments, was working within current regulations.

Currently in Northern Ireland there is only a legal obligation to install alarms in houses within certain housing structures, which house 10 or more people.

During the Camberwell Terrace blaze four of the men managed to escape from the house. Mr Czerwinski later died at the Mater Hospital. Mr Chrobak was found dead at the bottom of the stairs.

One of the housemates told the inquest that he was trapped in his room during the fire, as part of the door handle was missing. He eventually managed to escape when a friend broke the door down.

Mr Leckey said that his office had written to the Planning Service to invite them to the inquest but they declined to attend.

(PR/JM)