Wellington fire: Up to 10 dead & 30 missing after blaze erupts at hostel & locals fear ‘it was started deliberately’

UP to 10 people are dead and as many as 30 are missing after a blaze ripped through a hostel with fears it could have been started deliberately. The horror fire broke out in a four-storey hostel building in central Wellington, New Zealand, overnight. NZ HeraldAs many as 10 people are thought to have died in the hostel fire[/caption] A fire chief described it as his “worst nightmare”. The country’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he understood six people have been confirmed dead, but there could be more fatalities, while authorities say 30 people have not been accounted for. Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dean Silvester said the police’s main priority is to find out how many people were living in the building at the time of the blaze. The emergency services were called to the Loafers Lodge hostel just before 12.30am, local time, where a fire had started on the top floor, according to the New Zealand Herald. Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt said 52 people have been accounted for from the building, with a number of people still missing. The hostel can accommodate 92 people although it is not clear how many people were inside the building at the time.