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Police say they are still a day away from getting answers about the fire that killed at least six people in a hostel in Wellington, New Zealand, but have confirmed it is being treated as suspicious, while fire crews are investigating whether alarms went off as intended.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday afternoon, police would not be drawn on reports the blaze was deliberately lit, and said officers would not be able to enter the burnt-out building until Wednesday.
"We anticipate police will enter the building after a handover at some stage tomorrow, there are a number of health and safety factors that we need to mitigate before we place our staff inside the building," Acting District Commander Dion Bennett said.
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"However, once inside, we will work as quickly as we can to achieve an outcome for this.
"We know there are a huge number of questions that people will have. Right now we do not have the answer to all those questions but we will keep you informed.
"What we would ask is that we do not speculate until we know the facts and until we know the facts, that requires that scene examination.
"At this stage, the fire is unexplained and police have brought in specialist investigators and teams from around the country to support the Wellington district… to resolve this."
Police said they are still working to determine how many people are unaccounted for, and that they are yet to have been able to search all the hostel's rooms.
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Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) incident commander Bruce Stubbs could not confirm whether the building's fire alarms went off.
"We are checking that now," he said.
"We have been checking to ensure the sequence of events with our own alarm monitoring companies.
"At this stage, I can't answer any further than that."
He added that the blaze caused considerable destruction to the building.
"There was a roof collapse in the top floor," he said.
"That is where there is a significant amount of debris and structural damage that has come down.
"Inside on the top floor, there is a lot of destruction."
It's not yet known if any Australians have been impacted by the fire.
It's believed the original blaze broke out at the Loafers' Lodge in Newtown soon after midnight local time (10pm AEST).
"It is a truly tragic situation, the worst outcome," Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said.
"While we have six (people) that have passed, it will be in excess of that."
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Australia's high commission in New Zealand is working to determine if any Australians have been caught up in the blaze.
"We are deeply shocked and saddened by news of a fire at the Loafers Lodge Hostel in Wellington overnight," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.
"The Australian High Commission is in contact with the New Zealand Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade and local authorities to determine whether any Australians are affected.
"Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas)."
Whanau said the death toll would become clear in the coming hours or days, after the building was deemed safe for firefighters to search.
"There's a risk of the roof caving in and, of course, we need to make sure that our firefighters are protected as well," Whanau said.
"That information will certainly become more clear over the next few hours."
New Zealand Chief Coroner Judge Anna Tutton warned that the process of identification could take some time.
"It is critical that that identification process is conducted properly and that no mistakes are made," she said.
"Coroners will be working hard with police to ensure that the victims are identified correctly, to enable them to be reunited with their families as soon as possible."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had spoken with New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins to offer Australian assistance.
"He thanked me for the call, and thanked Australia for once again being with New Zealand, as our Kiwi friends are always with Australia at times of tragedy," Albanese said.
He said the fire was a "dreadful human tragedy".
Multiple people unaccounted for
Fire and Emergency Deputy National Commander Brendan Nally said there were no sprinklers in the building.
New Zealand outlet Stuff reported that fresh smoke had been seen coming from the roof this morning, with firefighters pouring more water onto the building.
It's believed up to 90 people were inside the building when the fire broke out, with 11 people still unaccounted for, according to Stuff.
Parts of the hostel have also collapsed, hampering any further search efforts.
Five people are in hospital, one in a serious condition, while others were treated at the scene.
Resident Tamrat Isse Adan told Stuff he had lost everything in the blaze.
He said he had spoken to his children in Australia to let them know he was alive, but he had no idea what came next.
"I'm very sad, very sad. My neighbour, he's missing, maybe he's dead, police say there's a lot of people missing. Very sad," he said.
Whanau said a mayoral relief fund had been set up to support both the survivors who had lost their homes and accommodation, as well as the families of those who died.
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"When I found out about the severity of this, this morning, I broke into tears myself, because we don't want that for anyone, especially those who are already struggling," she said.
One resident spoke of his terror on realising the blaze had taken hold.
"It was scary, you know — being, you know, first time I've been in a house fire, especially on the third floor, because you think, 'how am I going to get down'," he said.
"But I made it out."
Inspector Dean Silvester of Wellington police previously said he understood the death toll stood at fewer than 10, but was reluctant to give a concrete number.
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Many of the residents are shift workers, making it harder to track who was in the building at the time of the blaze.
One resident said there appeared to have been two fires when he fled the building.
Evacuees were taken to a centre at nearby Newtown Park, where charities supplied them with blankets, clothes and breakfast.
Hipkins acknowledged first responders desperately trying to save those inside.
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"Firefighters … have been putting themselves in harm's way over the last however many hours in order to try and get people out of the building and to try and get the fire out," he said.
The prime minister said he had previously been told at least six people had died in the fire, but he understood the final toll could be higher.
About 20 people were reported to be injured, with 15 treated at the scene.
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Local MP Grant Robertson said it had been "absolutely devastating" news to wake to.
"Obviously there will be thorough investigations of what has happened here, but for now the most important thing is that everyone stays safe and we look after those who have been affected," he said.
People in Wellington are urged to avoid the scene and wear a mask today if they are in the area, due to asbestos fears.
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