Earlier today, the Taiwanese Liberty Times Net reported on a fire at the Heping Basketball Gymnasium in Taipei. The arena will host this year’s League of Legends MSI knockout stage, which begins May 17. Reportedly, the tanks of two oil generators caught fire after an extensive 48-hour equipment test. Luckily there were no casualties, but the property damage has yet to be estimated.
Heavy smoke and fire alarms were reported in the early morning hours. The fire brigade quickly responded, sending six units and 14 fire engines to the site. By the time they arrived, the oil had already spilt into a nearby ditch, causing the fire to spread even further. Thanks to a great effort by the firefighters, the fire did not spread any further, especially to roadside vehicles close to the fire.
Hong Wenbin, deputy of the team that fought the fire, helped clarify the cause of the fire. He explained the MSI organizers rented mobile generators from a generator manufacturer. Two of those generators caught fire, which led to the fuel tanks burning as well. It is still unknown what the reason for the ignition might be, but the organizers have notified the manufacturers.
2019 MSI in Vietnam & Chinese Taipei
This year’s League of Legends MSI is being co-hosted by Vietnam and Chinese Taipei. The Play-In stage was held at the GG Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It hosted 10 teams, with only three advancing to the main event. The main event group stages were held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi. Six teams participated in the group stages. Four of those moved to the knockout stage.
The knockout stage is expected to be played at the Heping Basketball Gymnasium in Taipei with four teams attending. However, it is still unclear how big the damage caused to the venue is. Because of that, it is entirely possible that the event will have to be played at a different venue.
We wish the organizers the best of luck in preparing the venue for the knockout stage.
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