Loafers Lodge Fire Kills Six Guests

New Zealand police are investigating the deaths of six people in the Loafers Lodge fire as a possible murder.

 

At least six people were killed in a fire at a Wellington hostel, and police in New Zealand have opened a murder investigation, suspecting arson.

On Wednesday, Inspector Dion Bennett claimed that no one had been taken into custody. However, he refused to elaborate on why fire officials suspected arson. Bennett added that a day after the fire that destroyed the 92-room hostel, the exact number of missing persons is still unknown. Six people have been confirmed dead, bringing the overall number of missing to fewer than 20, he added. The Inspector also speculated that the number of fatalities may rise.

At 12:25 a.m. on Tuesday, occupants of the Loafers Lodge were awakened by the sound of a fire alarm. Five people were rescued from the roof and many more escaped via windows in the four-story structure before the blaze was contained around 6 a.m. It has not yet been determined by investigators whether or not a sofa fire that started two hours before was responsible for the fire.

Bennett warned that not everyone at the guest-house had checked in as safe and advised anyone who had made it out to get in touch with the police, as when they ran for their lives, several people left their phones behind.

Workers from the neighbouring hospital were among the short- and long-term residents of the Newtown hostel located near down-town Wellington. According to Radio New Zealand, Wellington City Mission director Murray Edridge, the hostel also housed some of the charity's patrons and nine local correctional service inmates.

There have been contradictory accounts regarding whether or not alarms sounded at the time the fire started, and the fire department has previously said that sprinklers were not present at the property since it was not obliged to have them by law.

On Wednesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins informed journalists that his administration will look into whether or not the country's construction standards are enough for lodgings like Loafers Lodge. The prime minister has also revealed that one of his college colleagues is among the missing.

No one who lost their lives has been officially identified so far.

 

Source: theguardian.com