Covid 19 coronavirus: fire, evacuation at Rotorua managed isolation facility

People have been evacuated from a managed isolation hotel in Rotorua after a fire, emergency services confirmed.

A police spokeswoman said police were on the scene assisting New Zealand Fire and Emergency personnel following a fire in the Sudima Hotel laundry.

Smoke had also been seen rising from the ceiling, he said.

A spokeswoman for Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) said a fire alarm went off at 1.05pm at the Sudima Rotorua managed isolation facility.

MIQ staff and hotel security worked closely with police to ensure that all guests were safely evacuated according to fire evacuation processes.

Guests were now beginning to return to their rooms, he said.

Sudima Rotorua was divided into six blocks, three of which were evacuated.

“The safety of our staff and returnees is our top priority to ultimately ensure the safety of our community.”

All managed isolation and quarantine facilities operated in a level 4 environment. In evacuation situations where guests had to be evacuated to the outside, strict infection prevention controls, developed by the Ministry of Health, were followed to manage the risks of the spread of Covid-19, he said.

She said the protocols include the use of PPE and masks and physical distancing rules.

Throughout the situation, New Zealand Defense Force personnel, wearing high-visibility vests, assisted hotel and MIQ security personnel in cordoning off all guests in assigned assembly areas, he said.

A photographer for the Rotorua Daily Post said there were two fire fighting devices at the site and that he could hear roll call going on behind white screens at the back of the hotel.

Police were called about the incident around 1 p.m.

The police spokeswoman said that because the hotel was a managed isolation facility, fire crews required special access.