A fire tore through Loafers Lodge in Wellington just after midnight Tuesday local time, and saw people jump out of windows, be rescued from the roof or run out in their pajamas.

A man has been arrested in New Zealand after a fire at a hostel in Wellington left at least six people dead.

He has been charged with two counts of arson after Loafers Lodge in Wellington caught firebut could face more charges as the case progresses, police said.

The unidentified suspect will appear in court on Friday.

An investigation is ongoing and a murder investigation has been opened. Dion Bennett, a police inspector, said officers are confident that no one else is involved.

Earlier on Thursday, officers removed the bodies of the first two victims from the shelter and said they would remove two more on Friday, with Bennett adding that more victims could be found.

“The damage on the third floor is significant,” he said.

“The rubble is piled up and there’s a lot for them to move around and look under.”

He did not confirm if there was evidence of arson at the scene.

Two hours before the incident, a sofa in the hostel had caught fire, but the emergency services were not informed.

Police are investigating whether there is a link between the two fires.

People were forced to flee in their pajamas when flames ripped through the building early Tuesday, while others were rescued from the roof or jumped out of windows.

Yesterday, Bennett said 92 people had been accounted for, while 20 had not.

The 92-room shelter housed people, including construction workers, hospital staff, and people serving time in the community for petty crimes.

Some of the shelter’s residents were described as vulnerable and had lost all their belongings in the fire, Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said.

Officials said the building did not have sprinklers, which under the country’s building codes are not required by older buildings where they would have to be retrofitted.

“I have asked the housing minister to look particularly at issues around building regulations to see if there is anything else we should be doing at the moment,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.