New Zealand hostel tragedy: At least six dead as fire rips through Loafers Lodge

A fire tore through a hostel in New Zealand’s capital in the early hours of Tuesday morning killing at least six people and forcing others to jump from windows of the four-storey building in their pyjamas.

Fifty-two people had made it out of the building but firefighters were still trying to account for others at the 92-room hostel, Wellington fire chief Nick Pyatt said.

Loafers Lodge resident Tala Sili told news outlet RNZ that he saw smoke pouring through under his door and opened it to find the hallway pitch black.

“I was on the top floor and I couldn’t go through the hallway because there was just too much smoke, so I jumped out the window,” Mr Sili said.

He said he fell onto a roof two floors below.

“It was just scary, it was really scary, but I knew I had to jump out the window or just burn inside the building,” he added.

He said he was rescued from the roof by paramedics and treated for a sprained ankle.

The Loafers Lodge offers basic, affordable rooms with shared lounges, kitchens and laundry facilities.

Some of those housed there are placed there by government agencies and considered vulnerable.

It’s been reported former prisoners and the homeless had been offered accommodation at the hostel.

Mr Pyatt, who called the blaze his “worst nightmare” said firefighters were called to the hostel about 12.30am. Emergency officials said the building had no fire sprinklers, which Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said was not required in New Zealand’s building code for older buildings that would have to be retrofitted.

Residents said that fire alarms would regularly sound in the building, possibly from people smoking or overly sensitive smoke monitors, so many had initially thought it was another false alarm.

Mr Hipkins said the building was not currently safe for police to enter and it could take authorities some time to confirm the number of dead.

He said though that he understood six people were dead but that number would likely rise. Police said they did not have an exact count, although they believe the death toll was less than 10.

Police said the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

“It is an absolute tragedy. It is a horrific situation,” the Prime Minister said. “In the fullness of time, of course, there will be a number of investigations about what has happened and why it happened. But for now, the focus clearly has to be on dealing with the situation.”

Health authorities said two people who had been in the building were being treated at hospitals and both were in a stable condition. Three others had been treated and discharged, while a sixth patient had chosen to leave before getting treatment.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said city and government officials were helping about 50 people who escaped the fire and were at an emergency centre the council set up at a running track that had showers and other facilities.

He said a number of elderly people had escaped the building with only the pyjamas they were wearing.

“A lot are clearly shaken and bewildered about what happened,” he said.