Loafers Lodge hostel fire: New Zealand authorities have arrested a man for arson over a deadly hotel blaze in Wellington which killed at least six people on Monday. The suspected will appear in Wellington District Court on Friday. Police say further imposition of more serious charges can’t be ruled out. The authorities have not been able to confirm the death toll even as 20 people were still considered missing.
The four-storey Loafers Lodge hostel, which is used as an emergency housing hotel in the capital, was severely damaged which led to the collapse of the rooftop.
Loafers Lodge hostel fire: Death toll expected to rise
The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days as a team of investigators was sent into the building on Wednesday. “Officers will be working to locate and recover those who have lost their lives tragically in this fire,” Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett told reporters on Wednesday.
He added, “We know there are many people waiting for news of family and friends including residents who escaped the fire and who are keenly waiting for news of their fellow tenants.”
Watch: New Zealand fire: At least 6 killed, many injured after fire in a hostel in Wellington
The authorities have clarified that the process could take several days to conclude, as people were advised to show patience. “This scene examination will be an extensive and methodical process, and we expect it to take some time – likely several days,” Dion Bennett was quoted as saying by BBC.
More details about the Loafers Lodge hostel
The four-storey hotel is known for housing people from socially backward and marginalised communities. It was designated as an emergency accommodation provider by New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development in 2011. The government said the contract had ended with the hostel, although it still was part of an informal network of temporary lodging sites that the government used to house vulnerable people.
Reacting to the fire incident, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was an “absolute tragedy”, adding that the incident raised concerns about the prevailing housing crisis in the country.
New Zealand’s housing crisis
A severe housing shortage and exorbitant private property prices and rentals have triggered a housing crisis in New Zealand. According to verified data, more than 3,300 households were living in emergency housing as of February.
The country’s housing market is unusually susceptible to a crash due to a number of factors, including the fact that it has one of the highest price-to-income ratios in the world and that the majority of mortgages are fixed for very brief periods of one to three years, with about half of all mortgages due for refinancing within the next year.
