Fire engines gather outside the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington, New Zealand on Tuesday 16 May 2023
(NewsHub via AP)
At least six people are dead and others are missing after a fire broke out at a four-storey hostel in Wellington, New Zealand.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed on Tuesday morning local time that at least six people were dead at the Loafers Lodge hostel, adding that “there are likely to be more”.
Authorities said they believed that up to ten people were dead, but that estimate might change as they continue to investigate.
Local fire chief Nick Pyatt said it was a “once in a decade fire” for the nation’s capital, describing the tragedy as “the worst nightmare for us”.
Read live updates about the situation below.
No sprinkler system in the building
Deputy national fire chief Brendan Nally has said there was no sprinkler system in the Loafers Lodge hostel, and that many residents did not have a clear exit path.
“They had difficulty getting out, and unfortunately and tragically quite a few haven’t got out,” he said, according to Radio New Zealand.
He said the building did have a dry riser system – which allows firefighters to connect their hoses to a system of internal pipes and pump water to upper floors – as well as some fire escapes on the outside of the walls.
As of Tuesday morning local time, 52 people had been taken out of the building and five had been rescued from the roof, while others were unaccounted for.
Five people were taken to hospital, two in a serious condition, and another 15 were treated by ambulance staff at the scene.
Io Dodds16 May 2023 02:35
Casualty number likely to rise, says fire chief
Here’s what we know so far about what happened last night in Wellington.
Fire crews were alerted to the fire at around 12:25am on Tuesday morning local time. They raced to the Loafers Lodge on Adelaide Road in Newtown, a southern district of New Zealand’s capital city.
Although firefighters have a full register of the building’s residents, officials said that it was initially not safe for rescuers to enter, meaning they were not sure how many people might be dead or injured inside.
“There are parts of the building that are significantly damaged, and firefighters’ safety is very important,” said FENZ deputy national commander Brendan Nally, according to Radio New Zealand.
“So we are searching those parts very carefully and deliberately, but unfortunately we believe the number of fatalities will rise throughout the day.”
Io Dodds16 May 2023 02:12
Number of missing people is 11
Deputy national FENZ commander Brendan Nally has confirmed that the number of people unaccounted for is now 11.
That’s how many people firefighters are still searching for after saving “several dozen” from the blaze, according to the NZ news website Stuff.
Io Dodds16 May 2023 01:36
‘This is a once in a decade fire’
The local fire chief has described this incident as a “once in a decade fire”.
Nick Pyatt, district manager for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), said: “This is a tragic event for all involved. My heartfelt condolences go to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives.
“It doesn’t get worse than this. This is a once-in-a-decade fire for Wellington. It’s the worst nightmare for us.”
Io Dodds16 May 2023 01:05
Hostel housed vulnerable people under charity care
A major Wellington social service agency has said that many of the Loafers Lodge residents are vulnerable people who are under its are.
The Wellington City Mission, a charitable trust that supports people in need, told the New Zealand news website Stuff that it had been looking after a “significant proportion” of hostel residents.
“This is an absolute disaster,” said mission head Murray Edridge. “These are people who are inherently vulnerable anyway. It’s a tragedy for our community.”
The hostel has long been used as an emergency housing provider for homeless people, and was last listed as such by the Ministry of Social Development in 2021.
Io Dodds16 May 2023 00:53
A ‘worst nightmare’ fire in New Zealand’s capital
Good evening, or good morning if you’re in New Zealand. At least six people are dead and others remain missing after a hostel fire in Wellington that local authorities described as the city’s “worst nightmare”.
New Zealand’s prime minister Chris Hipkin said on Tuesday morning local time that six have been confirmed killed and “there are likely to be more” at the Loafers Lodge hostel in southern Wellington.
Police said they believed the total number of dead was lower than ten, but were still waiting to gain access to the building and confirm that figure.
We’ll bring you more updates as we have them.
Io Dodds15 May 2023 23:56