Hundreds of Victoria students and staff are in danger of death if an alternative is not found to their current accommodation.

Hugh Lambie, university Safety and Defence Officer has recently condemned the Hunter building as being dangerously unsafe in the event of an earthquake or fire.

On a day to day basis the building is safe, but even a small fire could destroy the building and place many people at risk. According to Lambie, Hunter doesn't comply with the Fire Code because it does not contain adequate smoke lobbies, which are essential in sealing off smoke from the rest of the building.

If a fire were to occur on the ground floor of Hunter, smoke would drift up the stairwells and flood the second and third floors, asphyxiating people before they reached the stairwells.

The escape routes in the building, according to the Safety Officer are adequate, but the liklihood of them coping with a mass exodus of students in a state of panic is questionable.

The possibility of a fire occuring in Hunter is very high, as Hunter is an old building and parts of it are used for workshops and laboratories.