Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneReport from RNZ by Kate GreenA Wellington developer has bought Loafers Lodge, the burnt-out Newtown boarding house in which five people died more than two years ago. The building has been empty, with blackened walls and damaged signage, since the fire in May 2023. “Settlement has not yet taken place, and Primeproperty has not taken possession of the site. Late last year, Esarona David Lologa, 50, was found guilty of murdering five people – Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O’Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings – by deliberately setting fire to the Loafers Lodge building. “I was delighted to hear that news today, because it means that hopefully something will finally be done about the Loafers Lodge building,” he told RNZ.