The Qatar mall fire which killed 19 people, including two-year-old New Zealand triplets, was sparked by an electrical fault and made worse by the mall's safety failings, says a damning report into the fatal blaze.
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Investigators found there was a "lack of adherence to laws, systems, and measure by all concerned parties to different degrees".
They found the May 28 fire in the Villagio Mall in Doha was sparked by an electrical fault in the wiring of a fluorescent light in a Nike sportswear store.
"[This] led to the ignition of its plastics components before falling to the goods made by flammable materials," a statement from the committee said.
Nike staff tried to stop the fire but it spread rapidly and smoke leaked into the nearby Gympanzee childcare centre, where triplets Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes were being cared for.
The investigators said that Gympanzee was not licensed as a nursery by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
There were also no safety precautions to warn mall customers or authorities of a fire.
There were no effectual plans to prevent, reduce or contain a fire, they said.
They also found that there was poor co-ordination between government agencies responsible for public safety and there was a lack of fire safety standards not only at the mall but other buildings in Qatar.
The committee made 11 recommendations to prevent similar incidents from happening again, including the review of regulations governing childcare centres.
It also recommended that a list be prepared as soon as possible outlining all buildings in Qatar which did not comply with safety laws.
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