Global Courant 2023-05-16 04:55:24
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A fire that broke out at a hostel in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, on Tuesday night killed at least six people, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” said Mr. Hipkins to reporters in parliament on Tuesday. “It’s a horrible situation.”
The cause of the fire was still under investigation. There would be “a number of investigations” into the disaster, the prime minister said.
The hostel has no sprinklers and the fire alarm did not go off automatically, fire spokesman Brendan Neally told Radio New Zealand.
Four people were hospitalized, one in a serious condition, and 52 residents were rescued, five from the roof of the four-story building.
The total number of confirmed deaths is not yet known because the building is still not safe for police officers or firefighters to enter, Detective Inspector Dean Silvester, a police spokesman, said in a statement.
About 90 firefighters battled the blaze at its peak and the fire was extinguished by about 6 a.m
New Zealand’s Social Services had been using the hostel as emergency accommodation for its clients. Residents at the hostel, which offers cheap short- and long-term accommodation in 92 rooms, were “quite transient,” Inspector Silvester told reporters.
The fire was a “once in a decade” event for the city, said Nick Pyatt, district manager for fire and emergency in Wellington. “It’s our worst nightmare,” he added.
As of Tuesday morning, firefighters were still at the scene of the blaze, less than a mile from the center of the city, and Adelaide Road – a busy thoroughfare into the city – was closed.
