Emergency safety orders issued to two other boarding houses held by Newtown fire owner
Image: A fire at a Newtown boarding house earlier this year killed three people. Photo: Fire and Rescue NSW.
By DANIEL LO SURDO
Officers from Inner West Council have issued emergency orders to two other boarding houses owned by Albert Wong, after a fire at his Newtown boarding house last month claimed the lives of three people.
Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne said on Friday morning that council officers observed “some health and safety matters related to electrics and building structure” while evaluating two of the three other properties owned by Wong after the blaze last month, prompting emergency orders to be issued at each boarding house.
Byrne said that the safety breaches at the two properties must be “addressed urgently”, calling boarding house safety a “real social justice crisis in our own backyard”, estimating that there are 3000 residents living in boarding houses in the Inner West.
Councillors vote unanimously to provide all necessary support for displaced residents of Newtown fire
Inner West councillors unanimously supported a motion on Tuesday to provide ‘all necessary support’ to displaced residents after the boarding house fire, which will include a $5,000 provision for local non-profit Newtown Neighbourhood Centre’s boarding house outreach team.
The motion also asked council to urgently request the NSW government to participate in a joint state and local government review of boarding house management and regulations, and reiterate the need for more affordable and social housing in areas including the Inner West.
Byrne confirmed on Friday morning that he had written to the state government but had received no response.
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