The Wellington hostel~, where at least six people were murdered in a fire, will begin to be cleared of bodies, New Zealand police announced on Thursday. The first two bodies at Loafers Lodge were supposed to be taken out on Thursday, and the second two on Friday, according to Police Inspector Dion Bennett. As police investigate the location further, Bennett said it’s conceivable they’ll discover more victims. Bennett told reporters, “The damage on the third floor is significant.” There is a lot for them to move and search underneath the big pile of garbage.
Police have opened a homicide investigation and claim they suspect the fire was intentionally set. Bennett stated that although they have not yet made any arrests, they have a list of individuals they wish to talk with in order to rapidly identify any culprits. He would not reveal whether they had discovered an accelerant or any other traces of criminal activity.
About two hours before to Tuesday’s devastating, tragic fire, according to the police, a sofa fire had occurred at the Loafers Lodge hostel. They claimed that the couch fire was not initially reported to emergency services, and they stated they were looking into the possibility that the two incidents might have been connected. Police have changed their minds after first stating that they didn’t think the fire was intentionally started.
In the hostel, there were 92 people, according to Bennett, and police had a list of those who were still unaccounted for but weren’t technically missing. Police had previously stated that they thought the final death toll would be lower than 10. Journalist Liam Hockings was one of the hostel’s inmates who was reported missing, according to the news source RNZ. The BBC broadcaster Lucy Hockings’ brother is Hockings.
Some residents were forced to evacuate the building in their pajamas as the fire tore through the structure early on Tuesday. Others were pulled from windows or the roof by firefighters. People of all ages may stay at The Loafers Lodge, which provided 92 simple, reasonably priced rooms with communal kitchens, living areas, and laundry facilities. Some of them were stationed there by the government. Others were employed by an area hospital.
According to emergency personnel, the structure lacked fire sprinklers. According to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, older structures would need to be modified if sprinklers were required by the country’s construction rules. Hipkins told reporters on Wednesday, “I have asked the Minister for Housing to look specifically at issues surrounding building regulations to see whether there’s anything more that we should be doing at this point.”
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