Police now consider the fire at Loafers Lodge in Wellington, which killed at least six people, was an act of arson.
In an update to media at 4.30pm today, Inspector Dion Bennett, the acting Wellington District Commander, said the fire was being treated as arson.
As such, it was now a homicide inquiry, he said.
He said police had a list of people they wanted to speak to.
“It’s an arson inquiry, so yes, we will identify a number of suspects.”
Police have not yet arrested anybody.
When asked if an accelerant or petrol was used to start the fire, Bennett said, “I don’t know for sure.”
There were “less than 20″ people still unaccounted for, he said, while 92 people had been accounted for.
“As it stands, [the number of deaths] is still at six,” Bennett said.
A reconnaissance team had entered the lodge today and was working to develop a plan for a more extensive search, he said.
That was expected to begin tomorrow. The bodies of those who had died remain in the building and the number of people killed could still not be confirmed, he said. However, his "gut feeling" was that the death toll would climb.
"However, without that confirmation it would be irresponsible of me to say that."
Earlier, Bennett said police were now the lead agency for the fire investigation and “we can confirm that we are treating the fire as suspicious”.
Police confirmed that about two hours prior to the fatal fire, there was a couch fire at the hostel - about 10.30pm on Monday.
This fire was not reported to emergency services, Bennett said.
"As part of our enquiries, we will be seeking to confirm any link between that couch fire and the subsequent fatal fire."
It was likely to take several days to complete the examination, which was a extensive and methodical process, Bennett said.
"We know there are many people waiting for news of family and friends - including the residents who escaped the fire and are keenly waiting for news of their fellow tenants.
"I again want to provide the reassurance that we have a large number of officers working on this investigation, with the aim of providing them the answers they need as quickly as possible."
Dozens of people were trapped as thick smoke filled Loafers Lodge’s corridors and rooms, many woken by yelling and warnings to evacuate.
Authorities have confirmed the 92-room Newtown lodge did not have sprinklers and residents have said many people living in the building were elderly.
Fire and Emergency NZ assistant national commander Bruce Stubbs said Urban Search and Rescue teams would remain at the site to ensure the building remains safe while police investigations are carried out.
Stubbs earlier said they were looking into various factors of the cause of the fire, such as the thought it might have started as a couch fire, as well as looking into the standard of the building’s alarm system.
A convicted arsonist who was staying at the Adelaide Rd hostel at the time told The New Zealand Herald he was interviewed by police yesterday. He denied starting the fire.
Urban search and rescue teams, made up of technicians and drone operators, were at the scene last night assessing the building’s structural integrity and trying to find any other occupants.
Firefighters arrived at the property at 12.15am after reports of a blaze on the roof.
They described the scene that confronted them as their "worst nightmare".
Fenz district manager for Wellington Nick Pyatt said the fire was a worst-case scenario for firefighters, who donned breathing apparatus as soon as they arrived at the scene to find the building well alight.
At its height, more than 80 firefighters battled the blaze.
One man jumped from the third storey on to a roof next door as he feared he would burn if he stayed.
Others sprinted out to see flames burst through the roof.
Firefighters rescued 52 people, including five residents plucked from the roof "directly above the fire", in an effort praised by senior firefighters and politicians.
As day broke, survivors described their frantic escape from a building filling rapidly with smoke.
Simon Hanify said he had lived there for five months and there were often false alarms.
"There was a fire alarm went off at 12, and they go off all the time. Usually it’s a false alarm — somebody cooking toast or something," Mr Hanify said.
"I actually went out on the balcony for that one because I’ve evacuated the building so many times for alarms — go outside, usually have a cigarette, two minutes later they usually get turned off.
"But then an hour later the alarm went off again and I wasn’t going to leave my room but I thought ‘oh, well, ... I’ll go and have a cigarette.
"When I left my room I could smell smoke in the hallway so I went to towards the kitchen and, yeah, there was smoke coming down the stairwell, so I just sort of lapped around our floor knocking on doors saying ‘Everyone out — this one’s real’."
An evacuation centre was set up for those who had lost their home.
Residents recounted waking to the smell of smoke and hearing people yelling "fire, fire" in the darkness and shouts to evacuate.
Some said they ignored any alarms — adding that false alarms were common in the building.
Five people were taken to hospital, one needing treatment in Hutt Hospital’s burns unit.
Only one patient remained in hospital last night, in a stable condition.
The owner of Loafers Lodge does not know what might have caused the deadly blaze.
Gregory Mein said his energy was focused on working with management and the bereaved and relocating displaced tenants.
"The police and fire service have control of the building, so I’m in the dark as much as you are as to what they may find or causes etc, so until I’m in a position to be able to speak, I won’t be making any statement.
"We’re all battling at the moment," he said.
Fenz Deputy National Commander Brendan Nally said the building did not have sprinklers. Instead it had a dry riser system, which meant firefighters could pump water into it for firefighting.
The Wellington City Council confirmed Loafers Lodge was issued with a building warrant of fitness in March.
Building and Construction Minister Dr Megan Woods understood there was a stand-alone alarm system and all requirements with the Building Act were being met.
She said it was too early to say if regulations needed to change.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the fire was "an absolute tragedy" and "a horrific situation".
Additional reporting RNZ
