Tas: Fire at backpackers for second time in a month

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2004
Tas: Fire at backpackers for second time in a month

HOBART, Dec 31 AAP - Fire swept through a backpackers hostel in the northern Tasmania
city of Launceston today for the second time this month.

Police are yet to account for all the guests who were staying at the Metro Backpackers
hostel in Brisbane Street when the blaze broke out about 4am (AEDT).

Fire crews arrived to find an inferno on the second floor, spreading quickly through
to the roof, a Tasmania Fire Service spokesman said.

The blaze took over an hour to extinguish and about 60 people were believed to be in
the building at the time, a Tasmania Police spokesman said.

The hostel and surrounding buildings were evacuated.

Six guests were taken to Launceston General Hospital where they were treated for minor
burns and smoke inhalation.

"At this stage it is unknown if anyone is unaccounted for," the police spokesman said.

"Police and hostel management are trying to compile lists of residents known to be
in the building last night but they are having some difficultly correlating that at the
moment."

This is the second fire to break out in the hostel this month, with 78 people evacuated
in another blaze in the building on December 14.

Today, fire crews managed to negate damage to adjoining buildings including the renowned
Royal Oak Hotel which wasn't affected by the blaze.

They searched about a third of the hostel but safety concerns forced them to stop.

An engineer was called to inspect the site, which sustained major structural damage,
and fire crews will re-enter once given the all clear.

The damage bill was expected to be around $800,000, the fire service spokesman said.

The backpackers were taken to the Old Launceston Hotel in Brisbane Street, where they
received assistance from the Salvation Army.

Traffic in and around the Launceston Central Business District will be diverted for
much of the day.

The cause of the blaze is yet to be determined.

AAP mj/dk/lmc/de

KEYWORD: BACKPACKERS LEAD

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