Tasmania: Scottish tourist dies in hostel fire

A fire swept through a backpacker hostel in southern Australia today, killing a Scottish tourist, police said.

The man, believed to be in his mid-20s, had been staying at the Metro backpackers hostel in Launceston in Tasmania state for about three weeks, police inspector Stephen Hortle said. His identity was not released.

The fire, which started on the second floor and spread quickly to the roof, was the second blaze at the hostel this month.

About 60 people were in the building when the flames engulfed the second floor early today, and six residents were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. Hortle said all hostel residents had been accounted for.

The Scottish man’s body was discovered on the second floor and was taken to the state capital Hobart for a post-mortem examination, Hortle said.

The cause of the fire could not be immediately established, Hortle said.

Seventy-eight people were evacuated from the hostel when a fire broke out on December 14.