Loafers Lodge fire
Loafers Lodge in August 2021 | |
| Date | 16 May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Loafers Lodge |
| Location | Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°18′24″S 174°46′40″E / 41.3067°S 174.7777°E |
| Type | Fire |
| Cause | Arson |
| Perpetrator | Esarona David Lologa |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 20 |
| Property damage | Fire damage, partial collapse of building |
| Arrests | 1 |
On 16 May 2023, a fire broke out at the 92-bed Loafers Lodge in Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand. Five people were killed, and twenty others injured. On 18 May 2023, a suspect, later identified as Esarona David Lologa, was arrested. He was charged and later found guilty of arson and murder following a four-week trial in late September 2025. In mid-December 2025, Lologa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years for his role in the Loafers Lodge fire.