I am going to take a guess that most if not all the dead from the Wellington hostel fire overnight will be male.

I noted also that the cause is being treated as suspicious.

The firefighter who led first crew into Loafers Lodge said his crew [is] struggling to deal with the aftermath. Clark Townsley told RNZ they were met with extremely challenging conditions as the fire pushed them back.

Wednesday 17th May

Link to RNZ story

Update regarding arrest during the week.