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New Zealand Police have opened a homicide investigation into the deadly fire at Loafers Lodge in Wellington, which they believe was arson, with fears the number killed in the blaze may still climb.<\/p>\n
Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said police have a list of people of interest with whom they wish to speak while warning the death toll could be higher than the six confirmed so far.<\/p>\n
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Fire Service staff survey roof damage the day after a fire at Loafers Lodge.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cMy gut feeling is yes, it may climb,\u201d he said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The 92-room Wellington hostel caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting a frenzied evacuation. According to deportee advocate Filipa Payne, of the advocacy group Route 501, the lodge frequently housed people recently deported from Australia under the 501s legislation.<\/p>\n Residents jumped from the roof and crawled to safety, while at least six were trapped inside and killed.<\/p>\n All bodies remain in the hostel, which has been off limits to police until Wednesday afternoon, when Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) technicians finished work securing the property.<\/p>\n Fire trucks outside the burning hostel in Wellington.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>NewsHub<\/cite><\/p>\n A police reconnaissance team has since entered, conducting an initial sweep \u201cto develop plans for a more extensive search\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis scene examination will be an extensive and methodical process, and we expect it to take some time, likely several days,\u201d Mr Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u201cAlongside the scene examination, officers will be working to locate and recover those who lost their lives in the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n No arrests have been made, but initial investigations have firmed up the view of police that the fire was suspicious and deliberately lit.<\/p>\n A Fire Service staff member walks past an \u2018out of order\u2019 sign at the front entrance of Loafers Lodge.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe are treating it as an arson. I\u2019m not prepared to say why,\u201d Mr Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do have a list of people that we want to speak to.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause if it is arson and there is a death toll, it is a homicide (investigation).\u201d<\/p>\n Police also confirmed there was a second fire on a couch at the hostel – as reported by residents who survived – which preceded the deadly blaze by two hours.<\/p>\n That link will be investigated, as are claims the fire alarm – which did not go off for the second, deadly fire according to residents – did not work.<\/p>\n Police are also evidence-gathering outside the hostel, speaking to survivors and reviewing CCTV footage from the area.<\/p>\n Alongside the investigation, police are working on tracking down every person they believe to have been in the property.<\/p>\n Mr Bennett said 92 people had been accounted for, with less than 20 remaining on their search list.<\/p>\n That number includes bodies still inside.<\/p>\n The personnel search is challenging work – some may not want to be found, or are distrustful of authorities.<\/p>\n The Loafers Lodge had a mix of short-term and longer stay occupants, including shift workers from the nearby Wellington Hospital, welfare recipients and those under corrections orders.<\/p>\n Corrections Department spokeswoman Brittany McNamara said nine people on a community sentence order were living at the hostel, with all accounted for by Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n One of the missing has been named by NZ media as Liam Hockings, a university associate of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.<\/p>\n The inferno has raised other questions, including the suitability of the 1970s-built building to house vulnerable tenants.<\/p>\n There are also reports the main entrance was broken.<\/p>\n The disaster is NZ\u2019s deadliest building fire since 1995, when a deliberately-lit fire inside the New Empire Hotel in Hamilton killed six people including one who jumped from the building.<\/p>\n Should officials confirm two more deaths, it will be the worst structure fire since 1947 when 41 people died in the Ballantynes department store in Christchurch.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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