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Wellington hostel fire: Brother of BBC presenter Lucy Hockings missing,

The brother of a popular BBC presenter with links to New Zealand’s PM is among those missing in a hostel fire that left at least six people dead and is now a homicide investigation.

Police interview known arsonist over Wellington hostel fire

New Zealand police are treating the fire at a hostel in Wellington that left at least six people dead as arson and a homicide investigation is underway.

Acting Wellington District Commander, Inspector Dion Bennett, said police had entered the scene of the fatal fire at Loafers Lodge in Newtown on Wednesday afternoon.

“A small reconnaissance team entered the building after the scene was handed over to Police by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ),” he said.

“This team will be conducting an initial examination of the building, and will work to develop plans for a more thorough scene examination by our specialist staff, which we expect to commence tomorrow.

“I can also now confirm that Police are treating the fire at Loafers Lodge as arson and a homicide investigation is under way”.

He said a scene guard would remain in place at the building overnight, and for the duration of the scene examination. Adelaide Road remains closed to traffic between John Street and the Basin Reserve.

Firefighters found six bodies inside the hostel, but said they were unable to search everywhere because the roof had partially collapsed on the top floor. Police have said the death toll may rise.

Lucy Hockings is a well-known BBC presenter.
Lucy Hockings is a well-known BBC presenter.

It comes after the brother of popular BBC presenter Lucy Hockings was reported as being among the people missing after fire ripped through the hostel.

Liam Hockings, 50, is believed to be one of the people police said is unaccounted for after the blaze at Loafers Lodge in Newtown, Wellington. Six people have been confirmed dead but not all have been identified.

Police say they are treating the fire as suspicious, and confirmed there was an earlier fire at the building hours before the deadly blaze.

Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said the fire was being treated as arson and police had a list of people they wanted to speak to.

“It’s an arson inquiry, so yes, we will identify a number of suspects,” he said. No arrests have been made.

Mr Bennett said there were “less than 20” people still unaccounted for, while 92 people have been accounted for.

Liam Hockings is missing after the fire at the Wellington hostel Loafers Lodge in Newtown. Picture: Facebook
Liam Hockings is missing after the fire at the Wellington hostel Loafers Lodge in Newtown. Picture: Facebook

Mr Hockings, whose mother is arts writer Rosemary Hemmings, lives with a neurological condition, caused by Hydrocephalus – a spinal cyst on the brain requiring draining by a shunt.

The condition left him with memory and organisational difficulties, however Mr Hockings is a trained journalist, and was a regular contributor to a Kiwi Journalists Association social media forum.

He met now-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins during his time at university, with the pair joining other activists to rally against the privatisation of education in 1997.

Mr Hipkins said Mr Hockings was “a bit of a character and certainly someone who I knew ... to be a very sincere person”.

He said his thoughts were with Mr Hockings’ family.

“Although we haven’t maintained an ongoing connection, naturally his family will be extremely concerned, and my heart goes out to them, and to the other families and friends who will be very anxious.”

ARSONIST INTERVIEWED; POLICE TO ENTER BURNT-OUT BUILDING

Police interviewed a convicted arsonist over the fire, as they prepared to enter the burnt-out hostel on Wednesday to recover for those who never made it out alive.

FENZ Wellington region manager Bruce Stubbs told on Wednesday morning said police planned to enter the Loafers Lodge around midday.

A convicted arsonist, who posted to social media that he was staying at the hostel when it caught fire, denied that he ignited the fatal inferno, according to The New Zealand Herald.

“The police are still interviewing me … but the detective is asking questions his boss is asking him to ask me,” the man told the publication.

“I don’t even know why … but it’s frustrating … he keeps saying ‘we’re almost finished’.”

The hostel houses deportees from Australia, deportee advocate Filipa Payne says. Picture. Stuff.co
The hostel houses deportees from Australia, deportee advocate Filipa Payne says. Picture. Stuff.co

The unidentified man refused to respond to questions over his convictions for arson, but reportedly said he thought police believed he had a hand in starting the fire.

“That’s what I thought but I think it’s cause’ of my interviews with media,” he said.

“They think I know heaps.”

Acting Wellington District Commander, Inspector Dion Bennett, said entering the building is a “critical step” in the police investigation.

Inspector Bennett said police will be talking to evacuated residents again on Wednesday, and have obtained and reviewed CCTV footage from the area around the hostel.

“Work is also ongoing to determine who was in the building at the time of the fire and who remains unaccounted for or uncontactable,” he said.

REPORTS OF COUCH ON FIRE BEFORE FATAL BLAZE

Police said the cause of the fire was “unexplained” and they would be working with the fire services to determine the cause.

According to Stuff.co.nz, there are reports the fire started at around 10.30pm on a couch, an alarm sounded, and people left the building, then went back inside before the second fire. Police said they were investigating the claim.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has confirmed the 92-room hostel had no sprinklers and the fire alarm did not go off automatically.

The building houses hospital staff, New Zealanders who have been deported from Australia, meat workers, pensioners and former prisoners on community release.

Smoke escapes as a drone surveys the scene after a fire at Loafers Lodge. Picture: Getty Images
Smoke escapes as a drone surveys the scene after a fire at Loafers Lodge. Picture: Getty Images

Emergency crews rescued 52 people from the inferno, with five people needing to be rescued from the roof by a helicopter.

Six people were taken to hospital, one in a serious condition, Wellington ambulance service said. An additional 15 people were treated at the scene.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Tuesday promised a “thorough review” of the disaster.

“There will be an opportunity to test whether this building was fully compliant with all of the rules that it needed to be compliant with but obviously the focus at the moment is supporting our firefighters,” Mr Hipkins said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters the fire “was a dreadful human tragedy”.

He said he had spoken with his New Zealand counterpart to offer his condolences and Australian assistance.

“(Hipkins) thanked me for the call and thanked Australia for once again being with New Zealand, as our Kiwi friends are always with Australia at times of tragedy.”

Smoke could be seen pouring from the Loafers Lodge hostel during the night, as 80 firefighters and 20 trucks battled the blaze.

Emergency crews at the tragic scene of the fatal fire. Picture: RNZ
Emergency crews at the tragic scene of the fatal fire. Picture: RNZ

‘OUR WORST NIGHTMARE’: PEOPLE RESCUED OFF HOSTEL ROOF

Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt described the scene as “our worst nightmare”, adding, “it doesn’t get worse than this.”

“I can sadly report that this will be a multi-fatality incident. Our thoughts at this time are with the families of those who have perished and with our crews who valiantly rescued those and attempted to rescue those that they couldn’t,” Mr Pyatt said.

A fire chief, not pictured, described the situation as “our worst nightmare”. Picture. Stuff.co
A fire chief, not pictured, described the situation as “our worst nightmare”. Picture. Stuff.co

Firefighters used a ladder truck to save people trapped on the roof, said Fire and Emergency deputy national commander Brendan Nally.

“They plucked quite a few people off the top of the roof from an area directly above the fire,” Nally told Radio New Zealand.

“There was no other way. Those people were going to perish, except for the intervention of our team. Multiple people are walking around because of it,” he said.

Damage is seen on the Loafers Lodge hostel building following a fatal fire. Picture: AFP
Damage is seen on the Loafers Lodge hostel building following a fatal fire. Picture: AFP

One of the hostel residents, who gave his name only as Chris, told public broadcaster TVNZ that he crawled out of his room to escape through dense smoke.

“It was just getting to the stairwell. It was black as, thick as smoke. It was hard to breathe. Everything’s gone. My room’s thrashed. I grabbed my vape and my phone instead of my shoes,” he said.

Police survey the scene after a fire at Loafers Lodge. Picture: Getty Images
Police survey the scene after a fire at Loafers Lodge. Picture: Getty Images

AUSSIE DEPORTEES INSIDE HOSTEL

501 deportee advocate Filipa Payne said the hostel was used by Prison Aid and Rehabilitation and the Government to house returned deportees, Stuff.co.nz reports.

“501” originates from s501 of the Australian Migration Act 1958, and is used synonymously with people who are being detained in Australian Immigration Detention Centres, or who have been removed from Australia through deportation under Australia’s immigration stance.

The death toll is “likely” to rise, the nation’s prime minister warned. Picture: 9 News
The death toll is “likely” to rise, the nation’s prime minister warned. Picture: 9 News

Ms Payne said she knew 501 deportees were affected.

“There was quite a family unit. This is a horrible tragedy that will affect people that have been placed there through a traumatic and barbaric system,” she told Stuff.co.nz.
She expressed her sympathies for people left behind.

“It will affect families left in Australia who have already been through trauma and heartache.

“I struggle to understand the hurt and pain it will cause on people.”

Tamrat Isse Adan, who has children in Australia, lived in a room on the second floor at Loafers Lodge.

He said he escaped down the stairs and out the door after the smoke alarm went off – but others were not so lucky.

“I’m very sad, very sad. My neighbour, he’s missing, maybe he’s dead, police say there’s a lot of people missing. Very sad,” he told Stuff.co.nz.

Originally published as Wellington hostel fire: Brother of BBC presenter Lucy Hockings missing,

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/at-least-six-people-dead-after-fire-at-wellington-hostel/news-story/930b202f69147695a8afbef4b31613c8