FENZ Wellington region manager Bruce Stubbs told AM that he is confident that the Loafers Lodge building is now safe for police to start their investigation. Stubbs said the handover to police will be around lunchtime today.
He said USAR teams will remain at the site to ensure the building remains safe as the investigations are carried out.

 Stubbs said they are looking into various factors of the cause of the fire such as the thought it might have started as a couch fire, as well as looking into the standard of the building’s alarm system.

MPs from across the house support an inquiry into the fire at Loafer’s Lodge, although it is not yet clear what form this will take.

Two questions in particular stick out as topics of concern: whether all multi-storey residential buildings should be required to have sprinklers installed and whether New Zealand’s firefighters are equipped to fight these kinds of blazes.

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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.

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One person remains in hospital from today's deadly fire. 

Te Whatu Ora spokesperson says there is one patient, in a stable condition on a ward at Hutt Hospital.

Police continue to work closely alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and other community partners following the tragic fire at Loafers Lodge, Newtown, early this morning.

 “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 says.

 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,” Inspector Bennett says. 

Police anticipate entering the building tomorrow once FENZ releases the scene 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. 

“Until we are able to enter the building, we cannot make any definitive statements. 

“The fire remains unexplained, and we have brought in specialist investigative teams from around the district and country to assist. 

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

Police urge anyone who has been staying at Loafers Lodge in recent days to get in touch. 

They are asked to call 105 and reference Operation Rose, or go online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105#online-report-options and select the form “Something Else”, referencing Operation Rose. 

A scene guard will remain in place overnight to ensure the integrity of the scene and the security of the property.

Just in: The owner of Loafers Lodge in Wellington, where at least six people have died in a fire, says he’s in the dark about what might have caused the deadly blaze.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau told Newstalk ZB's Heather Du Plessis Allan that $12,000 has been raised through the Mayoral Relief Fund from the Wellington City Mission, on top of the 50-thousand the Council has given.

Just in: A convicted arsonist who was staying at the Wellington hostel which caught fire today, killing at least six people, says he has been questioned by police.