Accused New Zealand Hostel Arsonist Appears in Court

A man accused of starting the fatal Loafers Lodge hostel fire in New Zealand has appeared in court.

The 48-year-old man appeared in Wellington District Court on May 19, charged with two counts of arson.

He has been granted name suppression and remanded in custody for a month.

Local media report the man appeared in a black hooded jumper and made gestures toward the media before declaring his innocence.

“Someone else done it,” he said, according to the NZ Herald, before pointing towards his lawyer, Doug Ewen, and telling him he was fired.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.

At least six people were killed in the Wellington hostel fire.

Police have been interviewing survivors and reviewing CCTV evidence from the blaze.

“The investigation into the fire is ongoing, and police have not ruled out further, more serious charges about the deaths at the scene,” a police statement read.

Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said police were not seeking anyone else about the fire.

Alongside the homicide investigation, police continue to work on recovering bodies from the charred building.

There have been six confirmed deaths from the fire, with Insp Bennett saying earlier in the week that his “gut feeling” was that the death toll could climb.

Chief coroner Anna Tutton said she would work with police and other specialists to identify the dead.

“This identification process can be lengthy and complex, requiring a careful and methodical approach to ensure there are no mistakes,” Judge Tutton said.

“Victims will be treated with dignity and respect as we work through this challenging process.”

Insp Bennett said the scene investigation would be painstakingly slow, taking several days, as disaster victim identification (DVI) officers attend to the work.

Debris is stacked up to a metre high in places.

Police had not updated the number of missing people since Wednesday when they said fewer than 20 people were unaccounted for, a tally that includes the six confirmed dead.

More than 100 people were in the 92-bed facility, described on its website as “Wellington’s most convenient and affordable accommodation option”.

No victims have been named.

The building was recently used to house 501 deportees from Australia.

It complied with New Zealand safety regulations – which do not require sprinklers – and recently received its annual building warrant of fitness.

The government said it would review regulations for high-density accommodation following the fire, New Zealand’s worst in many years.