The New Zealand women’s national team, co-host country of the World Cup, was evacuated from its hotel due to a fire, which forced it to go through the emergency exits, defender Catherine Bott said on Sunday, adding that no one was injured. “We took the emergency exits. One of them was a bit smoky, but the majority of us went through the other exit,” said Leicester defender Bott. “We spent the rest of the evening in another location until the hotel was cleared and it was safe to return,” she added. “As a team, we have no reason to worry. Things are back to normal for us.”
A man has been arrested and charged with burglary and arson after the incident at the hotel in central Auckland overnight from Saturday to Sunday, local media said, saying the squad was unlikely to have been targeted. The fire came two days after a deadly shooting in the city, the morning of the opening match, won by New Zealand against Norway (1-0) in front of a record audience. The Football Ferns are now focused on Tuesday’s encounter against the Philippines. A victory could secure them a place in the round of 16, even before their last Group A game against Switzerland.
