Emergencies services were called to the Pall Mall Arcade building in Dee St on September 6.
Six people were evacuated.
All of them were treated for smoke inhalation, and a 10-year-old-boy was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering severe burns to his face and limbs.
In a statement yesterday, council interim group manager consents and compliance Jonathan Shaw said under the Building Act 2004, it was the responsibility of the building owner to supply a building warrant of fitness to the council.
At the time of the fire, the building had a warrant of fitness in place issued on February 22, 2009.
"The last inspection of the building was done on 21 August, 2023, which deemed the building warrant of fitness as non-compliant."
He stated the inspection was not mandatory as part of the warrant of fitness process, but it was an assurance step undertaken by the council.
There were several areas requiring remediation at the time.
"The issues required to ensure that the building was safe for use were dealt with immediately and were in place by 3 September, 2023.
"There remained several other issues to be dealt with by the building owner."
The warrant of fitness certified that all required inspections and maintenance had been carried out, and that the specified systems within the building — such as smoke alarms and sprinkler systems — were performing as required, Mr Shaw said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand determined last week that an electric blanket was the cause of the fire, and there were working smoke alarms but not in every room.
Traffic diversions were still in place in Dee and Spey Sts yesterday.
