At least six dead, 20 injured in NZ hostel fire
Wellington: At least six people are dead in a fire that broke out in a hostel overnight in Wellington, New Zealand.
It’s believed the original blaze broke out at the Loafers’ Lodge in Newtown soon after midnight local time (10pm AEST).
“It is a truly tragic situation, the worst outcome,” Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said.
“While we have six (people) that have passed, it will be in excess of that.”
She said the death toll would become clear in the coming hours, after the building was deemed safe for firefighters to search.
There are reports authorities are treating the blaze as suspicious, but police have not yet commented publicly.
“There’s a risk of the roof caving in and, of course, we need to make sure that our firefighters are protected as well,” Whanau said.
“That information will certainly become more clear over the next few hours.”
Fire and Emergency Deputy National Commander Brendan Nally said there were no sprinklers in the building.
New Zealand outlet Stuff reported that fresh smoke had been seen coming from the roof this morning, with firefighters pouring more water onto the building.
It’s believed up to 90 people were inside the building when the fire broke out, with 11 people still unaccounted for, according to Stuff.
Parts of the hostel have also collapsed, hampering any further search efforts.
Five people are in hospital, one in a serious condition, while others were treated at the scene.
Resident Tamrat Isse Adan told Stuff he had lost everything in the blaze.
He said he had spoken to his children in Australia to let them know he was alive, but he had no idea what came next.
“I’m very sad, very sad. My neighbour, he’s missing, maybe he’s dead, police say there’s a lot of people missing. Very sad,” he said.
Whanau said a mayoral relief fund had been set up to support both the survivors who had lost their homes and accommodation, as well as the families of those who died.