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Story: Fires and fire services

Loafers Lodge fire, 2023

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White tape with the words Fire and Emergency in front of fire blackened building on city street

Fire and Emergency New Zealand tape in front of the fire-damaged Loafers Lodge building in Wellington. The fire, thought to have been lit deliberately, resulted in the deaths of five people at the multi-storey accommodation on 16 May 2023. Police arrested the suspected perpetrator two days later and he stood trial for murder in 2025. Four people responsible for aspects of the building's maintenance were charged with manslaughter.

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Radio New Zealand – Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Fires and fire services – Modern fire services, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/47929/loafers-lodge-fire-2023 (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 25 June 2024.