Three intense and destructive wildfires are raging in Southern California, fueled by the powerful Santa Ana winds. The evacuation orders, which now include parts of the Los Angeles area, have caused tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
The fires, of course, are also impacting athletes and sporting events across the city.
Status of games scheduled in L.A.
On Wednesday, the fires prompted the Kings to postpone a Wednesday night home game against the Calgary Flames.
“Tonight’s game against Calgary has been postponed,” a Kings statement reads. “Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community. We appreciate the hard-working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community.”
The Lakers are scheduled to start a four-game home stand on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. They share Crypto.com Arena with the Kings as their home arena. The Clippers are scheduled to return from a road trip to host the Hornets on Saturday at their new arena in Inglewood.
Those games remained on schedule as of Wednesday afternoon, but their status is subject to change depending on the trajectory of the wildfires.
The Hornets took off from Charlotte Wednesday for their back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers. NBA spokesman Mike Bass, meanwhile, released a statement addressing Thursday’s scheduled Hornets-Lakers game.
“We are in communication with the Lakers and Hornets and continue to closely monitor the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary related to tomorrow night’s game.”
NFL has contingency plan for Rams-Vikings game
The NFL playoffs kick off with the wild-card round this weekend, and the Los Angeles Rams are set to host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. SoFi Stadium is located in Inglewood, which is about 10 miles southeast of where the Palisades fire is burning, but the situation is evolving rapidly.
The NFL said it plans to play that game as scheduled, but it announced a contingency plan on Wednesday afternoon. If necessary, the game would be moved to State Farm Stadium in Arizona — which is home to the Cardinals. It would still take place on Monday night.
The NFL said in a statement that it “will continue to closely monitor developments” and will “remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.”
Chargers raise supplies, money for disaster relief, pet rescue
The Chargers announced on Wednesday that they are donating $200,000 across multiple organizations in support of the firefighting and recovery effort including the “American Red Cross, LA Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and several pet rescue organizations sheltering animals displaced by the fires.”
The Chargers are also asking people who can to bring supplies to previously scheduled fan events ahead of their playoff game on Saturday. The Chargers are visiting the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Kawhi Leonard steps away from Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard stepped away from the team on Wednesday to be with his family that was impacted and evacuated due to the fires.
Further specifics on his situation are not yet known. The Clippers are set to take on the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday night. They will return home for Saturday’s scheduled game against the Hornets.
Leonard has played in just two games for the Clippers this season. He made his debut last week after a lengthy knee injury sidelined him this summer and into the first part of the season. It’s unclear how long Leonard will be away from the Clippers.
JJ Redick’s family evacuated
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who lives in Palisades, said Tuesday that his family had to evacuate their home due to the encroaching fire and smoke. Redick and the Lakers were not in Los Angeles, but in Texas for a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I just want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now,” Redick said. “That’s where I live.
“Our family, my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated. I know a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family. From the sound of things, with the winds coming [Tuesday night], I know a lot of people are scared. So I just want to acknowledge that. Thoughts and prayers for sure, and hope everybody stays safe.”
TNT reported that the Lakers’ flight back to Los Angeles would be delayed due to the fires, but the team told ESPN that they would still be departing Dallas on Tuesday night.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has also been affected by the fires. His 90-year-old mother lives in Pacific Palisades and had to evacuate her home.
“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat. “My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate.
“Everything I’m seeing and reading is just terrifying what’s happening down there,” Kerr said, “so just want to send thoughts to everyone who’s going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important.”
Kerr also said that Everett Dayton, who works for the Warriors in their player development department, grew up in Palisades and has lost his childhood home.