A fire broke out at a Wellington hostel killing at least six occupants. The fire broke out overnight, around 12:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 16 (2:30 p.m. French time). The police in the New Zealand capital have not yet been able to precisely quantify the number of people who were present in the hotel establishment.
Massive fire in #Wellington Newtown Loafers Lodge https://t.co/USkf8l1MDk
“It’s an absolute tragedy”said Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, saying the death toll is likely to rise. The emergency services estimate that around ninety people were in the hostel. Several of them are missing, and the firefighters reported fifty-two people rescued, some of whom had taken refuge on the roof of the inn and regained the ground by the large ladder of the firefighters.
“They evacuated a number of people from the roof, from an area that was directly above the flames”Deputy Commander of the National Fire and Rescue Services, Brendan Nally, told Radio New Zealand.
There were no sprinklers in the hostel and the fire alarm did not go off automatically, Nally said. One of the hostel residents, named Chris, told public broadcaster TVNZ he crawled out of his room to escape the toxic smoke.
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said those who escaped the disaster were now at an emergency center the city has set up.
“Our worst nightmare”
The emergency services were called in the night, noting a fire very difficult to control. Wellington Fire Department Chief Nick Pyatt said: “It’s our worst nightmare, it can’t get any worse than that. A fire like this is only seen once every 10 years in Wellington. »
A few elderly people mobilized to help rescue the occupants, dressed in pajamas, having abandoned everything in the flames. “Many are clearly shaken and bewildered by what has happened”added Nick Pyatt.
Some 80 firefighters and twenty fire trucks fought the fire in the building from which large sheets of smoke escaped. A police spokesman estimated that the final death toll should not “not to exceed ten”emphasizing, however, that he would only be known after he was able to access the building.
The Loafers Lodge hostel describes itself as a budget establishment for business visitors to the capital, or for tourists. It is located near the city hospital, and has 92 rooms, sometimes available for long periods.
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The cause of the fire remains for the moment “unexplained”said the police who announced the opening of a joint investigation with the firefighters.