New Zealand police launch homicide inquiry into deadly hostel blaze, to treat it as act of arson

A hostel fire, that claimed the lives of at least six people in New Zealand's capital city Wellington, is being treated as an act of arson, said the police on Wednesday as they opened a homicide probe into the incident.

In the early hours of Tuesday, a major blaze broke out on the top floor of the Loafers Lodge in the suburb of Newtown. Soon after, the flames and smoke engulfed the entire building forcing the residents to flee.

Due to major structural damage caused by the fire, the recovery efforts have been extensively hampered.

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According to the police, the investigators hoped to enter the building,after a health and safety inspection, in the afternoon to start with their probe and identify the ones killed in the incident.

"This scene examination will be an extensive and methodical process, and we expect it to take some time, likely several days," Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said.

"I can confirm that we are treating the fire as arson," he added.

"It is being treated as a homicide investigation," Bennett said, adding that police had a list of people they wanted to speak to.

The hostel, where the fire broke out, provided accommodation for hospital staff, construction workers and the people serving sentences in the community for minor crimes, among others.

The police on Wednesday said that some people were still missing, putting the number at less than 20 further adding that some of the missing residents of the hostel might just be unaccounted for.

The investigators are yet to learn about the exact cause of the incident but as per the police, there was a couch fire late on Monday, that took place two hours before the virulent blaze, which was not reported to the emergency services.

"We will be seeking to confirm any link between that couch fire and the subsequent fatal fire," Bennett said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand called it safe for police to enter the building earlier on Wednesday.

"The next step for us is going through and ensuring that there isn't anybody else in there and obviously working with police to investigate and support them in the removal of the six people," FENZ region manager Bruce Stubbs told Radio New Zealand.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visits scene of hostel fire

On Tuesday, New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited the scene of the deadly hostel blaze.

"Obviously it's quite confronting and also to speak to the first responders who were on the scene. Clearly a traumatic situation for them. I know they'll be feeling this," he said during a news briefing at the site.

He described the fire as "an absolute tragedy".

Hipkins appreciated the "incredible effort" of firefighters to extinguish the blaze and evacuate people.

"I acknowledge the victims and their families -- an absolutely tragic set of circumstances," he said, vowing a "thorough review" of the disaster.

"There will be an opportunity to test whether this building was fully compliant with all of the rules that it needed to be compliant with but obviously the focus at the moment is supporting our firefighters," Hipkins said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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