Two US supporters staying at Auckland's Pullman Hotel said they avoided thick smoke in a stairwell after a "suspicious" fire broke out last night.
The two witnesses, who are sharing a room in the same hotel as the Football Ferns, described their escape to 1News that began as they were watching Women's World Cup games.
"We quickly got our stuff, started heading down the fire stairs... at about the seventh of sixth floor we ran into smoke," one witness said.
"[At] about the fifth floor it was too thick to push through, so we had to jump across to a different fire [stairwell]."
The second witness said the smoke got "progressively thicker and more acrid" as they moved down towards the street.
"You could tell something was burning... there was smoke maybe like head height and we ducked down," they said.
"There were four people who had much more serious interactions with the smoke. One of the dudes had ash on his face and on his hands."
Once on the street, the US fans believe they saw a man attempt to escape police by running across the street. They claim the man was blocked by firefighters and apprehended.
Police said this morning that a man had been arrested and charged with arson.
A spokesperson told 1News that a 34-year-old had been arrested following the "suspicious fire" and has been charged with burglary and arson.
He is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday.
New Zealand Football said the alleged arson did not appear targeted at the team, FIFA, or the FIFA Women's World Cup overall.
The organisation's chief executive Andrew Pragnell said there was "increased security" as a result of both the fire and last Thursday's fatal shooting in Downtown Auckland.
"We have, with the support of FIFA, enhanced security measures somewhat," he said.
"Ironically, these two incidents have no connection in terms of the causal relationship. They're uncanny coincidences if you like, but regardless — just as an extra measure, we've increased security as well."
A spokesperson said earlier: "No players or staff have suffered any ill effects from the fire.
"The team's schedule hasn't been impacted and they remain fully focused on preparing for their second game at the FIFA Women's World Cup against Philippines on Tuesday in Wellington."
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