The Philippine Basketball Association has made the tough call to postpone Game Six of the 2021-22 Governors’ Cup Finals due to unplayable conditions caused by a fire inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
“Pasensya po pero hindi natin ginusto ito,” said league commissioner Willie Marcial. “Pero kailangan nating i-prioritize ang health and safety ng ating teams, players, staff, at fans.”
At around 11:30 in the morning, the Big Dome’s playing court was filled with smoke. According to Marcial, the fire was caused by faulty wiring in the venue’s air-conditioning system.
Faulty wiring within the air handling system is believed to be the cause @tiebreakertimes pic.twitter.com/kPSsjb3gwD
— Justine Bacnis (@justinebacnis) April 20, 2022
Two hours later, the Bureau of Fire Protection declared fire out while Araneta’s management cleared the venue for play.
However, there was still smoke inside the venue which was a cause of concern for the commissioner.
“Ang sinabi sa akin ng Araneta, okay ang Bureau of Fire Protection na fire out pero yung usok hanggang dito e. Hindi makakabuti sa lahat,” he continued in an impromptu media scrum held at the venue’s parking lot.
Game Six will now be played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Friday, said Marcial.
Ginebra currently leads the series against Meralco, 3-2.
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