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Coroner should probe cladding blaze, firefighters say

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne has asked a coroner to investigate a high-rise fire that spread rapidly due to the use of flammable cladding.

Nobody died in November’s blaze at the Lacrosse apartments in the city’s Docklands area, but the fire brigade believes the coroner is best placed to get to the “root cause” of the issue.

The flammable cladding, Alucobest, was imported from China and was not tested to Australian standards.

It enabled the fire to race to the 21st floor from an eighth-floor balcony where it began.

There are fears hundreds of Australian high-rise buildings may have been constructed using Alucobest or similar materials, and lives could be at risk.

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) is investigating the Lacrosse builders, and has contacted 20,000 practitioners requesting information on the use of non-compliant cladding.

It has also started an audit of 170 high-rise buildings in Melbourne.

“The VBA supports the [fire brigade’s] referral to the coroner to investigate whether the national and state regulatory frameworks ensure risks are adequately addressed,” it said.