A 15-year-old girl from Canada is facing allegations of setting ablaze a bus belonging to a professional baseball team, the Kane County Cougars, while the players were resting at a nearby hotel. This incident resulted in the bus and all its contents being reduced to ashes.
The fire ignited at approximately 1:50 a.m. near Blue Cross Park in downtown Winnipeg, where the team’s charter bus was parked during their visit to Canada. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find the vehicle completely engulfed in flames.
The Kane County Cougars, an independent professional baseball team from Geneva, Illinois, were in Winnipeg for a three-game series against the Winnipeg Goldeyes. The fire occurred just hours after their second game of the series, adding a tragic twist to their visit.
Authorities confirmed that the bus, along with everything inside, was entirely destroyed. Despite the loss of equipment and personal items, the team reported no injuries. The players were staying at a hotel in Winnipeg when the incident unfolded, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
Authorities said the entire bus and everything inside it were destroyed. The Cougars said players lost equipment and personal belongings in the blaze, though no injuries were reported.
The team was sleeping at a Winnipeg hotel when the fire broke out, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Police said a bystander spotted someone inside the burning bus and helped them escape before first responders reached the scene. Officers later detained two teenagers suspected of deliberately starting the fire.
A 15-year-old girl was charged with arson causing damage to property and possession of incendiary material.
Police said she was later released on an undertaking into âthe custody of a responsible adult.â
An undertaking under Canadian law is a promise to appear in court and comply with court-ordered conditions.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service put out the blaze.
The Cougars said the Winnipeg Goldeyes helped arrange a replacement bus so the team could travel to Fargo, North Dakota, for its weekend games against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
The clubâs Iowa-based bus company, Windstar, is sending another bus to bring the team back to Illinois after the series.
