A fire that killed at least six people in a Wellington hostel was arson, police in New Zealand said as a murder investigation was opened. No arrests have been made but officers have a list of people they want to speak to and hope to quickly identify a suspect, police inspector Dion Bennett said.
He refused to say if an accelerant or other evidence of arson has been found. But there was a couch fire at the Loafers Lodge hostel about two hours before Tuesday’s deadly blaze, police said.
The smaller fire was not reported to emergency services at the time, the force added. Officers are now investigating to see if there is a link between the two fires.
