By Canadian Press

New Zealand Women’s World Cup team evacuated due to hotel fire

Jul 22, 2023 | 6:26 PM

New Zealand’s Women’s World Cup squad had to be evacuated from a downtown hotel on Saturday night after several small fires broke out.

New Zealand have police charged a 34-year-old man with burglary and arson and said he is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday.

It was the second security incident within three days at the World Cup, following a fatal shooting near team hotels on the first morning of the tournament.

About 7:45 p.m. local time Saturday, the Football Ferns were briefly evacuated from the Pullman Hotel after a fire was reported. All of the players were safe and accounted for, the team said.

Four people were treated for smoke inhalation, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper. Several small fires were found in the hotel that fire officials determined to be suspicious.

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It was unclear whether the incident was connected to the World Cup.

New Zealand is co-hosting the Women’s World Cup with Australia. On the morning of New Zealand’s opening match at Auckland’s Eden Park on Thursday a gunman opened fire at a construction site in downtown Auckland, killing two people. The assailant died after a shootout with police. Five people were wounded.

A moment of silence for the victims was held before New Zealand defeated Norway 1-0.

The New Zealand team continues group play at the tournament on Tuesday with a match against the Philippines in Wellington.

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More AP coverage of the Women’s World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press