At least six killed in the hotel fire

At least six people were killed on Tuesday, May 16, in a fire that broke out in a four-storey hotel housing workers and the needy in the center of the New Zealand capital, Wellington.

Huge flames and thick smoke billowed throughout the night from Monday to Tuesday from the top floor of Loafers Lodge, a 92-room hotel in central Wellington.

“It’s an absolute tragedy”New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that six people had been killed “Confirmed. But it seems there could be more.”. Wellington Mayor Tori Whānau also said she expected a higher number of casualties.

90 people in the enterprise

Firefighters saved 52 people. They used a large ladder to evacuate residents trapped on the roof, some of them “From an area that was directly above the fire.”Brendan Nally, deputy commander of the National Fire and Rescue Services, told Radio New Zealand (RNZ). “There were no fire extinguishers in the hostel and the fire alarm did not go off automatically.”-Did you announce?

Emergency services estimate about 90 people were at the facility at the time of the fire. Several residents said the building’s smoke detector was going off so frequently that they doubted it was a real emergency. Six people were taken to hospital, one in critical condition, and 15 others were treated at the scene, according to emergency services.

Cause of fire ‘unexplained’

The Mayor of Wellington said that this hotel accommodates long- and short-term residents. According to her, some of them are vulnerable people, living on low income or staying at home “transient” In New Zealand, a country suffering from a housing crisis.

The cause of the fire still exists to this day “Unjustified”The police announced the opening of an investigation.