AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s women’s World Cup team was evacuated from a downtown hotel Saturday night after several small fires broke out.
New Zealand police have charged a 34-year-old man with robbery and arson. He said the man would appear in Auckland District Court on Monday.
It is not known if the case is related to the World Cup.
This is the second security incident in three days after a shooting attack near some team hotels on the first morning of the World Cup.
The fire was reported at around 7:45pm local time on Saturday at the Pullman Hotel, where the Football Ferns are known as the New Zealand national teams. The team said all players are safe.
Defender C.J. Pott said some of the players were getting smoke when they left. However, they all safely left the property and spent a few hours at a nearby restaurant.
“Yes, there was some smoke in one of the emergency exits, but most of us went through the other exits and we got out of the building safely,” Budd added.
According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, four people were treated for smoke inhalation. A number of small fires broke out at the hotel, which were deemed suspicious by authorities.
“We had good defense, they gave us the right instructions and we all handled it well,” forward Gabi Rennie said Sunday. “I think our team is very good at dealing with adversity, so this is another test.”
New Zealand co-hosts the Women’s World Cup with Australia. Two people were killed when a man opened fire at a construction site in the city center on the morning of the opening game at Auckland’s Eden Park.
The assailant was killed in a shootout with the police. Five people were injured.
Following New Zealand’s 1-0 win over Norway, a minute’s silence was observed for the victims.
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