A 48-year-old man has been charged with five counts of murder in connection with a fatal hostel fire, according to New Zealand police.
He had been arrested and accused of arson after the fire in Wellington last month.
On May 16, a fire destroyed Loafers Lodge, a four-story emergency housing hostel in the capital, killing five persons.
As the site housed members of vulnerable and marginalized groups, the incident has reignited discussion about the housing crisis in New Zealand.
As it was only one block away from the Wellington city hospital, many hospital employees also used it as temporary housing.
Thursday, Wellington Police informed reporters that they had informed the families of the victims of the prosecution’s charges. They did not provide specifics regarding the allegations.
The catastrophic fire occurred shortly after midnight on May 16, local time. The police promptly launched a homicide investigation and deemed the fire an act of arson.
The victims were five individuals between the ages of 50 and 67, according to police.
On the night of the incident, there were at least 99 residents in the building.
Some were compelled to crawl through smoke to reach safety when the fire broke out. Others gathered on the roof as they awaited rescue.
Tala Sili, a lodger, stated that he leaped from his window to escape the flames.
“I was on the top floor, and I couldn’t go through the hallway because there was just too much smoke, so I jumped out the window,” he told RNZ.
“It smelt like poison,” he said.
Last month, Wellington’s fire authorities stated that they were unable to corroborate whether the building’s smoke alarms had sounded due to conflicting reports from residents.
Many New Zealanders cannot afford housing due to sky-high property prices, rising rents, and a lack of government-subsidized housing.
During the pandemic, the use of emergency accommodation also skyrocketed in the country. According to government data, the temporary solution has become a permanent option for many.
