A resident of the Wellington hostel where multiple people have died following a fire overnight has described fleeing the building early this morning.
Firefighters were called to Loafers Lodge on Adelaide Rd, in Newtown, about 12.25am.
Chris, who lived on the third floor, said he crawled out of his room.
He said he could hear people yelling "fire, fire".
"As soon as you hit the stairwell, it's all sweet as, it was all clear, there was no smoke so you could get out," he said.
"It was just getting to the stairwell, it was black as, thick as smoke, it was hard to breathe.
"For me it was hard, just that little distance, it was a struggle."
Chris added that he was worried about the older people who lived in the building.
And he's still looking for one of his friends, he said, adding he's "lost everything".
"Everything's gone, my room's trashed... I grabbed my vape and my phone instead of my shoes," he said.
"I already had my escape plan but it was scary.
"Realistically, what could we do, aye? You're on the third floor in a fire, you have to find your way out.
"All I've got is what I've got on me now, but that's only materialistic, they're easy to replace. Replacing peoples' lives is a different story."
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