Deadly Wellington hostel fire being treated as arson, police say

New Zealand police open homicide inquiry after at least six die in Loafers Lodge blaze

A fire that erupted in a Wellington hostel, killing at least six people, is being investigated as arson by New Zealand’s police, who have started a homicide inquiry.

Nobody has been arrested, Inspector Dion Bennett said on Wednesday. He would not say why officers believed the fire was deliberately lit, or whether accelerants were used.