Fire inspectors found a catalogue of safety problems in emergency homeless accommodation, including rooms repurposed as bedrooms without approval, inadequate escape routes and faulty fire doors.
At one centre, Dublin Fire Brigade found there was no procedure explaining what residents or staff should do if a fire broke out or an alarm was activated.
The accommodation had no escape route on display or a designated assembly point, a report said.
Inspectors also discovered there were no smoke or fire detection devices in most of the storerooms, in some bedroom lobbies and in void spaces, including roof areas.
Recent upgrade works to the fire detection and alarm system had also not been documented or certified.
Inspectors found extra bedrooms had been created in rooms that were approved for other uses while other parts of the building did not match up with agreed fire safety designs.
The inspection said: “Examples of these include, but are not limited to, the inclusion of many storerooms throughout many areas of the building, the inclusion of additional bedrooms in rooms approved for other uses in various locations throughout the building.”
The reports from Dublin City Council also showed escape routes “were not adequately enclosed in fire-rated construction.”
Fire doors were found to be in a poor state of repair, with missing smoke seals, ineffective self-closers and excessive gaps around some doors.
The city council had originally refused to release the records. However, following an appeal under FOI laws to the Information Commissioner, two reports were made public.
At a second centre, inspectors found more fire doors in poor condition, including along escape routes, while several had been propped or wedged open.
An inspection said: “This was particularly the case amongst the doors examined along the common escape routes (corridors, stairs, etc.). There were screws missing from hinges in numerous locations.”
One exit at ground-floor level had nine separate locking mechanisms while several bedroom windows were not suitable for escape or rescue.
The inspection also found fire extinguishers were outside their service dates while one external escape route “terminated at [an] electrically powered roller shutter.”
The building was, however, unoccupied at the time of the inspection but had a proposed occupancy of around 25 people plus staff.
Asked about the records, a spokesperson said the DRHE and Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) conducted inspections of all emergency homeless accommodation.
They said: “Where issues are identified during an inspection, the service provider is contacted and required to carry out any identified repairs or remedial works.
“The DRHE remains committed to ensuring that all providers – commercial and NGO – meet the high standard expected for the delivery of safe accommodation. “The rolling programme of internal, external, announced and unannounced inspections together with the work of DFB is fundamental to ensuring any issues are addressed quickly and that high standards are maintained.”