At least six people have been confirmed dead, after fire guttered a hostel in the nation’s capital overnight, prompting others to leave the four-story structure in their pajamas. The fire chief of Wellington has described the incident as his “worst nightmare.”
According to Bruce Stubbs, the incident controller for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, six bodies were discovered, but not all portions of the building have been inspected because the roof on the top level had collapsed, sending down rubble and making the area dangerous to access.
Officials said, 52 individuals survived the fire outbreak, but they were still looking for more. A resident of the hostel, Tala Sili, disclosed that he saw smoke coming through under his door, then he opened his door to find out that, the hallway was pitch-black.
“I was on the top floor, and I couldn’t go through the hallway because there was just too much smoke, so I jumped out the window,” Sili said. He continued to say, he fell on a roof two floors below.
“It was just scary, it was really scary, but I knew I had to jump out the window, or burn inside the building,” Sili added. Sili has been rescued from the roof by paramedics and he’s being treated for sprained ankle.
Loafer lodge hostel offers basic and affordable services to all odds of people. Some individuals lodging at the hostel, were sent there by the government agencies, because these people are considered vulnerable, due to inadequate resources at their disposal.
The hostel contains 92 rooms, with billboards covering other side of the building. The structure is stationed at an industrial location, close to Wellington Regional Hospital, and there were dark smoke streaks running up the outer walls on the top floor.
However, firefighters were dispatched to the hostel around midnight. Emergency personnel that responded to the scene said, the structure lacked fire sprinklers. The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins, claimed, under New Zealand’s building code, fire sprinklers are not required for older structures that need to undergo renovation.
Although the source of the fire is still unknown, police said they don’t think it was started on purpose. After receiving building access from the fire department, police inspector Dion Bennett said the intention was to launch a complete scene investigation.
Also, residents initially believed it was another false alarm, because fire alarms frequently went off in the building, potentially as a result of people smoking or too sensitive smoke detectors.
According to Hipkins, it might take some time for authorities to confirm the death toll. Police stated that although they did not have a precise count, they thought there were fewer than ten fatalities.
“It was an absolute tragedy. It is a horrific situation,” the Prime Minister said. “In fullness of time, of course, there will be a number of investigations about what has happened, and why it happened. But for now, the focus clearly has to be on dealing with the situation,” Hipkins explained.
Health authorities said, two people who had been in the facility, were being treated and both are in a stable condition. Again, three others, have been treated and discharged, whiles six patients left before getting medical treatment.
The Wellington district manager for Fire and Emergency of New Zealand, Nick Pratt, offered his condolences to the families, who have lost loved ones, and also sent well wishes to those who escaped the fire with injuries. “This is our worst nightmare,” Pratt said. “It doesn’t get worse than this.”
However, the spokesperson for the Wellington City Council, Richard Maclean said, the city and officials were helping about 50 people who managed to escape the fire. Maclean said, victims are being treated at an emergency center, the city council put up.
