New Zealand’s worst nightmare: Flame Inferno in Hostel – Panorama

It’s night when a massive fire breaks out in a New Zealand lodge. The emergency services are doing everything they can to save the population, risking their lives. For some it is too late.

WELLINGTON – At least six people have been killed in a devastating fire at a motel in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. According to police reports, about a dozen other residents were still missing on Tuesday evening (local time). The fire broke out in the three-story building shortly after midnight, for reasons that remain unclear. She added that a number of people were taken to hospital, two of whom are in critical condition.

Police spokesman Dion Bennett told reporters this afternoon that since it was initially impossible to enter the lodge for security reasons, the exact number of casualties was unclear. The six victims have been located but not yet recovered. Only when the building is secured on Wednesday will there be a search for other dead people in previously inaccessible parts. He added that the roof collapsed on the upper floor and everything there was in ruins.

According to Radio New Zealand, quoting the authorities, more than 50 people were rescued from the burning building. Some escaped to the roof. The local commander of the fire brigade was quoted in the media as saying the fire was his “worst nightmare”. “It doesn’t get any worse.” The emergency services would have risked their lives to save as many trapped people as possible.

Prime Minister: “An absolute tragedy”

The 92-room Loafers Lodge is located in Newtown, a suburb of Wellington. It had long housed many residents, survivors said, including elderly people. One man said he jumped from a window onto a roof in a panic. “It was scary, but I knew I had to jump or I was going to burn through the building.”

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said: “It is an absolute tragedy and a terrible situation.” The cause of the fire is still unclear. “Of course, over time there will be a number of investigations into what happened and why it happened, but the focus now has to be on managing the situation,” the prime minister said. According to preliminary information, there were no sprinkler systems in the lodge.

The fire brigade was working with great unity. Videos distributed on the Internet showed huge fires raging, especially on the upper floors. A forensic doctor said identifying the victims was difficult and could take a long time.

It is unclear how many people were in the lodge at the time of the fire. “We have not yet prepared a list of everyone who was here last night, so we are not going to predict how many,” said police spokesman Bennett.

A local Wellington politician said some “extremely traumatized people” who survived the fire were being cared for in evacuation centres. “Many people lost everything they owned there.”