About 70 high-risk buildings in the Perth CBD will be checked for flammable cladding, following similar action in Victoria.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade report on a blaze in November at the Lacrosse building in Melbourne’s Docklands found a non-compliant cladding contributed to its rapid spread.

The Chinese product, Alucobest, was not tested to Australian standards and experts believe many other buildings across the country may contain the same or similar materials.

The Victorian Building Authority is investigating the conduct of the Lacrosse building practitioners, and checking about 170 other Melbourne buildings.

WA Building Commissioner Peter Gow says if non-compliance is identified in Perth, action will be taken.

“Like our Victorian counterparts, we are taking a targeted approach in checking high-rise residential buildings in the CBD in the first instance,” Mr Gow said.

“We expect builders and building owners will be responsible and will rectify any non-compliance discovered in the audit. However, the city and the Building Commission have powers to require rectification if these powers are needed.”

Just because a building is clad with a composite panel, that does not mean it is non-compliant, Mr Gow says.

“This type of cladding may have been used inappropriately on the Lacrosse building, but that does not mean it cannot be used appropriately in other circumstances. Any non-compliant use of an aluminium composite cladding panel should be reported to the Building Commission or to the building department of the local government where the building is located.”