PM Chris Hipkins, local MP Grant Robertson and Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau speak at the scene of the fatal Loafers Lodge hostel fire in Newtown. Video / Mark Mitchell
Holding bags of donated clothes – and some shaking their heads in disbelief or shock – survivors of Wellington’s deadly hostel fire slowly filed out of a hastily arranged evacuation centre counting their blessings.
As Wellington’s early evening darkness set in, the last few remaining residents of Loafers Lodge – the hostel that caught fire killing at least six people early this morning – were waiting for temporary accommodation at Newtown Park.
Authorities have said 11 people remain unaccounted for tonight, while confirming at least six have died.
The sports centre had been transformed into an evacuation centre for those uninjured in the dramatic blaze, which is being treated as “unexplained” by police.
Loafers Lodge, in the Wellington suburb of Newtown, housed more than 90 people; some aged in their 80s.
A sizeable proportion of its residents included people who were previously homeless, were unemployed, as well as a number of people who were reportedly 501s deported from Australia.
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge – among those on the frontline offering support to survivors today – described the hostel as not the “most salubrious”.
“By definition, most of them [residents] had some vulnerabilities,” he told the Herald.
“And that is why they were staying in that particular place. You wouldn’t stay there unless you had very few options.
Emergency services use a drone to survey the damage and risk of collapse at the Loafers Lodge in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“It wasn’t the most salubrious place you could stay, obviously.
“But it was still a community of people, and they were still housed.”
Police said late this afternoon that they were working closely with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) and other community partners after the tragic fire.
“We understand this is a really traumatic time for the families and community involved and we are working tirelessly alongside our partners to support them through this process,” Acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Dion Bennett said.
The scene examination, investigation and work to identify those in the building will all take time.
“This is an extensive and methodical process and we need to make sure we get it right for the families, loved ones, our partner agencies and the community,” Bennett said.
Dion Bennett confirms six bodies have been found in Loafers Lodge. Photo / George Heard
Police hope to be able to enter the building tomorrow once Fenz releases the scene and an extensive health and safety risk assessment has been completed.
Edridge described the fire and loss of life as a “huge tragedy”.
His work today has included offering moral support to those who lived through the fiery nightmare.
“The people are really shaken up by it... the people who have been impacted by it seriously,” he said.
“I have just been talking to one gentleman who had to break his own window to get out, and got rescued from the roof. There is trauma in that. But he is reflecting on the loss of some of the people he is quite connected with.
“They are dealing with their own experiences, most of them are really tired because they didn’t sleep last night. A lot of them need a change of clothes and need a shower. There will be trauma in that for them, and some of it won’t manifest for some time.”
He said “a number” of Loafers Lodge residents were people that the Wellington City Mission had cared for.
Several of those had yet to be contacted.
Loafers Lodge after the deadly fire that swept through the building on Adelaide Rd. Photo / George Heard
“This is a long journey and we still do not know how many people have passed away in the building, that hasn’t been made clear yet,” he said.
“This is going to be a tragedy by anyone’s description, and it will take a long time for the community to recover from this.
“We do know some of these people [who are missing] really well, so there will be some trauma in that space as well from my team.”
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge says the impact of the deadly fire will have lasting impacts on the survivors. Photo / Katie Harris
Most of the lodgings provided to survivors today aren’t “long-term” options.
Edridge said he had been impressed by the generosity of landlords and other accommodation providers to take in those whose home was destroyed by fire overnight.
It was one of many signs of generosity from “the community at its best” after the tragedy, he said.
“The good part of the story, and there is always a good part, is that the community have come together,” he said.
“You have got community agencies in there [the evacuation centre], you have got Government agencies, you have got council . . . and they are all working to do right by people. My expectation is that everybody will be accommodated by the end of the evening which is great.
“The Government has put things in place, everyone has got a cellphone and some replacement clothes, or given the ability to get those. Everyone has had their short-term needs met.”
- Police urge anyone who has been staying at Loafers Lodge in recent days to get in touch.
