The Summerland Fire Commission's report into the Summerland fire is published. It criticises:

 

• The architects - They cut corners, used deadly materials known to be a fire risk and had a cavalier attitude to safety.  They 'made a right dog's dinner of the whole thing,' according to John Webb, then a young scientist and part of the team that investigated the fire.

• Isle of Man authorities (Douglas Corporation and Isle of Man local government board) - They agreed not to obey a key bylaw which would have stopped Summerland from being built the way it was. Bylaw39 required the external walls of public buildings to be non-combustible and have fire resistance of two hours.

• The designers - The open plan design meant the fire spread more quickly.  Another fatal error was the use of Decalin, a highly flammable fibreboard, on an internal wall. There weren't nearly enough fire escapes.

• Senior management - Safety training didn't appear to be a company priority. Fire exits were locked.  The fire brigade was not called for more than 20 minutes after the blaze took hold.

 

The report found 'errors and failures' and 'too much reliance on an "old boy network"'.

 

And yet: there were  'no villains.'