The Downunder Hostel Fire was a lethal fire on 17 September 1989, set shortly before 5:00 am in a backpackers

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

on Darlinghurst Road in the Kings Cross area of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The fire was the fifth most deadly disaster in Australia in 1989.

Background

Since 1981, another 52 people have died in fires in backpackers hostels and other low-end boarding facilities. Nineteen people died in 1981 in the Rembrandt Apartments, also in Kings Cross. Kings Cross is a very popular destination with international backpackers visiting Australia. Twelve died in a fire in Dungog, New South Wales in 1991 at the Palm Grove Hostel. In 2000 the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers, Queensland, burned down, costing 15 lives. On top of all that, 130 backpackers were evacuated after an arson attack at the Ocean View Lodge in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Western Australia in March 1993, 10 from the City Heart Hostel in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, Queensland in August 1996 after another arson attack. On 13 October 2011, a fire was started in a bin outside Noah's Bondi Beach hostel in Bondi Beach, New South Wales, where 130 backpackers were sleeping,.

Building

In December 1975 the Savoy Private Hotel burned down with the loss of 15 lives and 25 seriously injured after a fire set by Reginald John Little. It was next door to a building that housed the Pink Panther strip club and a brothel called the Kingsdore Motel. This building later became the Downunder Hostel. Both buildings were owned by alleged crime-boss Abe "the boss of the Cross" Saffron, who has been linked to seven other fires. As a hostel the three-story building held 58 beds, with a standard of four or five individuals per room.

Fire

The fire quickly swept up through the stairwell, which became blocked by smoke and fire. Due to the lack of fire escapes many escaped through the windows in the rooms.

Arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

was suspected. At least 60 were rescued, 16 of whom were injured. All fatalities were caused by

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

or smoke inhalation in the room on the top floor. Five young tourists aged in their twenties, died in a fire that started in the lobby of the hostel. The victims were David Leo Hillman, 25, Canadian; Jacinda Maree Hill, 25, New Zealand; Allan Nielsen, 27,Danish; Darren Andrews, 20, British; and an Austrian and a Swedish national.

Investigation and legal

Initial reports from a police spokesperson during the investigation strongly hinted the fire was arson and not accidental, stating "It is possible someone dropped a cigarette or something may have been dropped in the lounge. But we can't discount some drunk has come back to the hostel and lit it up for fun." Gregory Alan Brown, who had a history of

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

and drug and alcohol abuse, confessed to setting this fire and some 500 more. He was sentenced to 18 years for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

. He was convicted, despite his alleged unreliable confession and a suggestion that he was in Melbourne at the time. The court found diminished responsibility, sentencing him for manslaughter instead of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

. Alleged to have boasted to another prisoner "I love hearing people scream and watching them die," he was released in 2009 after serving his full sentence, refusing to apply for parole.

Aftermath

The Downunder fire eventually led to new stringent safety procedures. The

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

made recommendations about the number of fire exits, sprinkler systems, labelling of

fire door A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating (sometimes referred to as a ''fire protection rating'' for closures) used as part of a passive fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire and smoke between separate compartments of ...

s, fire extinguishers and other fire-fighting equipment and staffing. The local council formed a safety department but enforcement remains sporadic as local councils are not reimbursed for legal fees in Land and Environment Court. Legislation was introduced that gave local governments and fire authorities special enforcement powers in relation to buildings posing a fire risk, with authorized inspectors becoming capable of inspecting buildings when requested or when a written complaint has been made about the building.

References

External links

* *
Pyromania : the fire at the Downunder Hostel
in *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA2sz-fYhqc *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M5ufmIWBaw {{Coord, 33, 52, 25.3, S, 151, 13, 24.2, E, display=title, type:event_region:AU 1989 disasters in Australia Fires in Australia 1980s fires in Oceania 1989 fires Hotel fires Arson in Australia Murder in Sydney 1980s in Sydney September 1989 events in Australia Kings Cross, New South Wales