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Police are being coy about reports there was a fire on a couch earlier on Monday night before the fatal blaze at Wellington’s Loafers Lodge.
Firefighters have so far found six bodies inside the damaged part of the building in the inner suburb of Newton on Tuesday, and for safety reasons have yet to complete their search.
At a briefing late Tuesday afternoon, Police acting Wellington district commander Inspector Dion Bennett was asked about the possibility there were two fires.
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It was suggested the first fire started about 10.30pm on a couch, an alarm sounded, and people left the building, then went back inside before the second fire.
READ MORE:
* ‘I knew I had to jump’: What it was like inside Loafers Lodge when fire broke out
* Six confirmed dead so far after Wellington fire, part of hostel still to be searched
* Wellington fatal hostel fire: What is Loafers Lodge?
Fenz were alerted to the fatal blaze at Loafers Lodge about 12.25am Tuesday.
Asked to confirm if there was more than one fire, Bennett said that was part of the investigation process, and he couldn’t confirm if it was the case until a scene examination was carried out.
BRUCE MACKAY/The Post
Fire and Emergency incident commander Bruce Stubbs said there was “a lot of destruction” on the top floor of the hostel, where the roof had collapsed.
Stuff understands the suggestion that couches were set alight shortly before the building erupted in flames is central to the police investigation into the fire.
Newshub reported two residents of the lodge had said there was more than one fire.
A man, who did not want to be named, said there was a fire on a couch 45 minutes earlier, Newshub said.
The resident had said: “I went downstairs and got told that the fire was out, that was a fire that was started on one of the couches. So I went back upstairs.”
Key background
The fatal fire occurred at Loafers Lodge hostel in Newtown, Wellington, in the early hours of Tuesday May 16, 2023. There were about 94 people in the hostel at the time of the fire.
The Loafers Lodge building has been a bank, a church, and most recently, cheap accommodation for those from myriad walks of life.
The building was inspected and issued a building warrant of fitness by the Wellington City Council in March this year.
Watch this space
Police hope to enter the building on Wednesday. Six people are confirmed dead, but more are unaccounted for. Instability in the roof structure requires work to ensure it’s safe for people to search the building. The identification of victims could be complex and time consuming.
It may take some time to determine the cause of the fire and whether anyone is responsible for it. The deadly event is being treated as unexplained. Specialist investigative teams have been brought in from across the country.
The spotlight will also be on the safety of Loafers Lodge, which had safety fire alarms but no sprinklers. The Building Code does not require sprinklers, but fire and emergency did say they would have made a difference. Also sure to face debate is the state of housing for New Zealand’s most vulnerable. Green co-leader James Shaw labelled the fire an indictment on this country.
Also relevant
- Hostel residents described their escape through the building’s windows.
- The deadly fire was captured in photos and video by Stuff’s visual journalists.
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