Loafers Lodge: Man arrested for deadly New Zealand hostel fire

New Zealand police have charged a man with arson in connection with a fire at emergency housing, where at least six people were killed.

He was arrested and will appear at Wellington District Court on Friday.

Police said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to the fire and indicated that further "more serious" charges had not been ruled out.

Officials said up to 20 people were still missing after Tuesday's fire at the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington.

Hours before the arrest was announced, police removed the first two bodies from the charred building.

The blaze at the four-storey Loafers Lodge hostel broke out shortly after midnight local time (12:30 GMT Monday), forcing residents to the rooftop, and some to jump from windows.

Some crawled through smoke to safety, while others were rescued from the roof by firefighters.

One resident, Tala Sili, said he had jumped from his window to escape the fire, which had started on the third floor.

"I was on the top floor and I couldn't go through the hallway because there was just too much smoke, so I jumped out the window," he told national broadcaster RNZ.

Authorities say the death toll may rise, since the building is so damaged that a thorough search has not yet been possible.

The incident on the outskirts of Wellington's city centre has shocked New Zealand. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called it "an absolute tragedy" and said it raised a wider discussion about the nation's housing crisis.

The 92-room hostel was known to house residents from vulnerable and marginalised communities - including those on welfare and disability pensions - as well as workers from the city's main hospital.

New Zealand is in the midst of a housing crisis brought on by high rents, high house prices, and a shortage of state housing.

Official figures show that as of February, more than 3,300 households live in emergency housing.