Fire tears through New Zealand hostel, killing multiple people

May 16 (UPI) -- Authorities in New Zealand said Tuesday that multiple people are dead after a fire tore through a four-story Wellington hostel overnight.

The fire erupted at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at the 92-room Loafers Lodge on Adelaide Road in central Wellington. Responding crews arrived to find the blaze on the top floor of the building, and elevated the situation to a five-alarm fire.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said more than 50 people who were in the building have been accounted for, including five who were rescued from the roof, but several others were missing.

Both fire and police authorities said the number of deaths and those unaccounted for cannot be confirmed until they are able to gain access to the facility, which is not expected to occur until Wednesday.

"Our initial assessment is that the number of deceased is fewer than 10," Wellington District Police said in a statement.

"It is currently unsafe and until we can access the building -- and reconcile numbers of people who are safe -- we are not in a position to determine how many people are deceased or unaccounted for."

On Tuesday evening, acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Dion Bennet said police anticipate to enter the building Wednesday once the scene has been released and an extensive health and safety risk assessment has been completed.

"While we have an initial indication of the number of people who were in the building, and of those who remain unaccounted for, we will not be confirming numbers at this stage," he said in a statement.

Police are asking anyone who stayed at the hostel in the past few days to contact them.

"We're working to determine who was in the building and ensure their welfare, but at this stage we can't comment beyond that," Bennett said.

The blaze was mostly extinguished by Tuesday morning, with Fire and Emergency district manager Nick Pyatt stating relief crews have taken over for firefighters who had battled through the night and will "complete mopping-up work."

"Once we've gained access to the building following structural integrity process, we will work on mopping up hotspots to allow for the investigation process," he said in a statement, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet known.

"At this stage, any cause of the fire or any other details around the circumstances of the fire cannot be confirmed," he said.

At the fire's peak, more than 80 firefighters from 29 crews were on hand.

"This is a once-in-a decade fire for Wellington," Pyatt said. "It's the worst nightmare for us."

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited the site of the fire and offered his condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones that morning.

"It is an absolute tragedy and it is a horrific situation," he said.