A lack of CCTV coverage inside a low-security cottage at Canberra's jail has allowed the arsonist responsible for a fire in November last year, which rendered the cottage uninhabitable due to smoke and damage, to escape detection.
There were 28 detainees asleep in the cottage at the time the fire was lit.
A report tabled in the ACT Assembly on Tuesday by the independent Inspector of Corrections, Neil McAllister, found that although a number of potential suspects had been identified, due to a lack of evidence no charges have been laid and the exact circumstances around the ignition are still a mystery.
The fire at cottage 2, a two-storey building which can house up to 28 detainees, broke out late at night on November 14 last year, four days after the riot within the nearby maximum security prison which caused an estimated $5.7 million in damages.
The fire broke out around 11pm, after security logs showed one of the cottage doors, which are sealed at night, had been breached some 10 minutes earlier.
Based on investigations, it found that the fire started near an upstairs skylight and spread down into a stairwell.
One corrections officer who firstly responded to the incident said he found what appeared to be a container of some sort of liquid on the bottom step of the stairwell. Another officer followed in a short time later and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
In the report, one of the officers said the fire was so hot "our boots were melting to the tiles".
A series of recommendations have been proposed by Mr McAllister, including refresher training for all staff on the use of fire extinguishers and breathing apparatus.
Mr McAllister commended the actions of staff and said the fire "could have put the lives of 28 detainees at risk".
"The corrections officers who responded are deserving of public gratitude and recognition for a job well done," he said.
