New Zealand Police have confirmed they are treating the deadly Loafers Lodge fire as suspicious as they gain entry to the hostel to begin their investigation.
The 92-room Wellington accommodation facility caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting a frenzied evacuation.
At least six were killed in the blaze, and their bodies remain in the hostel.
On Wednesday afternoon, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) technicians finished their work securing the property.
“They have done a lot of suring inside the building to allow us to make entry,” FENZ spokesman Bruce Stubbs said.
“We’ll keep an urban search and rescue team on scene to assist with any further work that’s required to keep the scene safe as we move into the investigation.”
Access to the building will allow police to search for more bodies, and to gain insight to how the fire began.
On Tuesday, police said it was too early to consider the fire suspicious, but by Wednesday afternoon they had changed their thinking.
Acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Dion Bennett also confirmed a second fire, preceding the deadly blaze by two hours, at the hostel.
“The couch fire was not reported to emergency services at the time,” Insp Bennett said.
“As part of our inquiries, we will be seeking to confirm any link between that couch fire and the subsequent fatal fire.”
Police warned the public not to expect quick answers on a final death toll, identification of victims or fire cause.
“We are working tirelessly alongside our partners, alongside our other agencies to find the answers that we need,” Insp Bennett said.
“This requires an extensive scene examination and as you can see the building is large and the damage is extensive. Once inside, we will work as quickly as we can.”
Police are also evidence-gathering outside of the hostel, speaking to survivors and reviewing CCTV footage from the area.
There are a number of people still unaccounted for, though officials have been coy on just how many.
There were around 92 residents at the 92-room hostel, but there were some visitors and some that weren’t present during the fire.
On Tuesday, emergency services tallied 52 people as having left the building, with six bodies remaining inside.
Police are also desperately working to reconcile a list of residents and people inside the building at the time of the blaze, attempting to make contact with them all.
It is challenging work: some may not want to be found, or are distrustful of authorities.
The Loafers Lodge had a mix of short-term and longer stay occupants, including shift workers from the nearby Wellington Hospital, welfare recipients and those under corrections orders.
Corrections Department spokeswoman Brittany McNamara said nine people on a community sentence order were living at the hostel, with all accounted for by Wednesday morning.
One of the missing has been named by NZ media as Liam Hockings, a university associate of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
The inferno has raised other questions, including the suitability of the 1970s-built building to house vulnerable tenants.
There are also reports the main entrance was broken.
The disaster is New Zealand’s deadliest building fire since 1995, when a deliberately-lit fire inside the New Empire Hotel in Hamilton killed six people including one who jumped from the building.
Should officials confirm two more deaths, it will be NZ’s worst since 1947 when 41 people died in the Ballantynes department store in Christchurch.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered Australian assistance in the recovery effort.
The offer is yet to be taken up as a full assessment of needs is only possible after a thorough police investigation.
Australia experienced a similar tragedy in Childers, Queensland, where 15 people – most of whom were foreign travellers – died in the burning of the Palace Backpackers Hostel in 2000.
