A woman was arrested and charged with starting a fire at the hotel where she was under mandatory covid-19 quarantine in the Australian city of Cairns, Queensland state, local media reports.
A woman was arrested and charged with arson in the hotel where she was under mandatory covid-19 quarantine
Fire engulfed the top floor of the Pacific Hotel in the northeastern city of Cairns on Sunday morning, forcing the evacuation of more than 160 guests.
In the early hours of November 28, flames engulfed two rooms on the top floor of the establishment. The woman, 31, had been staying at the hotel for “a couple of days” and reportedly set fire under a bed in her room.
More than 160 guests were evacuated and no one was injured. Firefighters extinguished the fire and the building is reported to have suffered significant damage.
Only a couple of days into the mandatory quarantine
Authorities said a 31-year-old woman lit a fire under her bed after spending only a “couple of days” of the mandatory two-week quarantine inside the hotel after crossing into Queensland from another state.
Prior to the incident, she had also reportedly caused other unspecified problems for staff during her stay.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia has recorded only around 2,000 deaths as it resorted to some of the world’s most draconian quarantine and lockdown measures, affecting not only international but also interstate travel, in an attempt to keep infections as low as possible until the majority of the population is vaccinated.
JUST IN: A fire has broken out on the top floor of the Pacific Hotel in Cairns. It’s used as a quarantine hotel. No one injured. | @10NewsFirst @10NewsFirstQLD pic.twitter.com/krwSd769MR
— Johnpaul Gonzo (@JohnpaulGonzo) November 27, 2021
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