A man has been arrested and charged with arson in relation to the Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington on Monday night.
He is scheduled to appear in the Wellington District Court on Friday and police aren't ruling out further, more serious charges.
At least six people are known to have died in the fire, with several more people unaccounted for.
A senior emergency call taker says staff had a harrowing night on Monday as they dealt with the full course of the fire.
Carlos Dempsey is a shift manager at the fire communications centre in Wellington and arrived at work to deal with the aftermath early on Tuesday morning.
He's also the local firefighter's union president and spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss.
