New Zealand police say hostel fire that killed 6 was arson, open homicide investigation – Winnipeg Free Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand police said Wednesday they believe a fire that killed at least six people at a Wellington shelter was arson and have opened a homicide investigation.

Police Inspector Dion Bennett said they have not arrested anyone yet, but have a list of people they want to speak to and hope to quickly identify any suspects or persons of interest. He declined to say whether accelerant or other evidence of criminal behavior had been found at the scene.

Police said there was a sofa fire at Loafers Lodge about two hours before Tuesday’s large, fatal fire. They said the sofa fire was not reported to emergency services at the time and that they were investigating to see if there was any link between the two fires.

Bennett also told reporters that more reconnaissance and examinations needed to be carried out in some shaky parts of the four-story shelter building and that his “gut feeling” was that the death toll could rise.

The homicide investigation represents a change in perspective for police, who on Tuesday said they did not believe the fire was set deliberately.

Bennett said police had reported 92 people at the shelter and had a list of fewer than 20 others who were still missing, though not necessarily missing. Police had previously said they expected the final death toll to be less than 10 people.

The RNZ news outlet identified Liam Hockings, a journalist, as one of the hostel’s residents who was missing. RNZ said Hockings is the brother of BBC presenter Lucy Hockings.

Fire tore through the building early Tuesday morning, forcing some people to flee in their pajamas. Others were rescued by firefighters from the roof or jumped from the windows.

The Loafers Lodge offered 92 basic, affordable rooms with shared lounges, kitchens and laundry facilities for a wide range of ages. Some people were placed there by government agencies and deemed vulnerable because they had few resources or support networks. Others worked at a nearby hospital.

Emergency officials said the building did not have fire sprinklers. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said that under the nation’s building codes, sprinklers were not required in older buildings that would need to be retrofitted.

“I have asked the housing minister to look particularly at issues around building regulations to see if there is anything else we should be doing at the moment,” Hipkins told reporters on Wednesday.