Deadly LA wildfires burn thousands of acres, postpone NHL game, threaten historic sports venues

Rapidly spreading Southern California wildfires have ravaged thousands of acres in the Los Angeles County area, turning deadly and destroying hundreds of structures.

By Wednesday morning, the Palisades Fire (burning four miles west of Brentwood, Calif.) and the Eaton Fire (burning four miles northeast of Pasadena, Calif.) had consumed over 5,000 total acres, according to Wednesdays situation report from the National Interagency Fire Center, destroying 300 structures and displacing tens of thousands of residents due to evacuation orders.

Advertisement A third wildfire, the Hurst Fire, started late Tuesday night and triggered evacuations in the San Fernando Valley community in the northernmost area of Los Angeles.

The wind-fueled blazes took less than 24 hours to wreak havoc on the densely populated region, which is also home to sports teams from every professional North American league and includes historic venues.

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Our family, my wifes family, my wifes twin sister, theyve evacuated.

I know a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family, Redick said, mentioning the impending gusty winds that were expected to spread the blaze overnight into Wednesday.

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.

The high winds are due to the annual phenomenon known as the Santa Ana Winds, which fuelled the blaze's spread closer to the Los Angeles Pacific Palisades neighborhood overnight.

Chase Daniel, a former NFL quarterback and current co-host of The Athletic 's Scoop City podcast, shared footage of the wildfire's smoke Wednesday morning on his daily commute to Los Angeles.

Here is what we know about the fires' impact on sports as of Wednesday afternoon: NHL The Los Angeles Kings, who share Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers, announced Wednesday afternoon their game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night was postponed due to the wildfires.

A makeup date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed, the NHL said in a statement.

Fans' tickets for Wednesday's game will still be valid for the rescheduled date, the team said.

"Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community," the Kings said in a statement.

"We appreciate the hard-working First Responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community." Stay safe, Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/fMvpMJmSRL LA Kings (@LAKings) January 8, 2025 NBA Along with Redick, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about the wildfires Tuesday night, telling reporters that his 90-year-old mother was among the thousands forced to evacuate.

Kerr added that Everett Dayton, a team staffer in the player development department, lost his family home due to the fire.

Advertisement "Everything I'm seeing and reading is just terrifying what's happening down there," Kerr said after the Warriors game against the Miami Heat.

"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 said.

The Lakers are currently scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, which is located in downtown Los Angeles.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Wednesday the NBA has been in contact with the Lakers and Hornets as the league monitors "the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary" related to Thursday's game.

The Lakers returned safely to Los Angeles early Wednesday after playing in Dallas on Tuesday.

Praying for everyone in Southern California!! ! LeBron James (@KingJames) January 8, 2025 The LA Clippers, who are currently on the road in Denver, canceled shootaround Wednesday morning and are currently scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Thursday and practice Friday and Saturday ahead of Saturday's game hosting the Hornets.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will miss Wednesday nights game against the Nuggets due to personal reasons, the team announced.

Leonard has family and a residence in the Los Angeles area.

NFL With both of the NFL's Los Angeles franchises preparing for the postseason, the Rams and Chargers have each been affected by the wildfires this week.

The Chargers begin their playoff journey on the road in Houston, but the Rams are scheduled to host their first-round game at SoFi Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

Due to impacted air quality levels from the wildfire smoke, the Chargers adjusted their practice schedule Wednesday to limit the time players spend on the field.

Advertisement According to air quality index (AQI) data from Plume Labs in El Segundo, Calif.

where the Chargers' practice facility is located the area had an AQI value of 153 on Wednesday, which is considered unhealthy to breathe.

The Rams, who do not have an indoor facility, practice in Woodland Hills, where the AQI is 131, which can cause health effects for members of sensitive groups.

The AQI value at SoFi Stadium which is an open-sided stadium was at 184 on Wednesday.

Thank you to all of the first responders! God bless the families impacted! Puka Nacua (@AsapPuka) January 8, 2025 As of Wednesday afternoon, the Rams are still scheduled to practice Thursday in Woodland Hills, but are monitoring the air quality in the area.

According to AirNOW, a program from the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provides air quality data, outdoor activities should be shorter and less intense once the AQI level tops 100.

Above 150, people should avoid long or intense outdoor activities.

And above 200, all people should avoid all physical activity outdoors.

The NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA," a league spokesperson told The Athletic on Wednesday.

Football is relatively trivial right now but re.

the scheduled Monday Night playoff game in Inglewood between the Rams and the Vikings, a league spokesman said the NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 8, 2025 Rose Bowl Stadium While the annual major college football Rose Bowl took place on Jan.

1, the beloved stadium is a major event center and its surrounding area was directly affected by Wednesday's evacuation orders.

According to the Associated Press, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said much of the city was under evacuation orders.

The high winds in the region have limited firefighting crews from battling the flames aerially.

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19.

"We are closely monitoring the wildfire developments, air quality, and weather conditions in the region," a representative from the races said in a statement.

"As soon as there are any updates or adjustments to the Rose Bowl Half Marathon & 5K, we will notify participants via email and social media." Advertisement Golf The Riviera Country Club, located in Pacific Palisades, plays host to the annual Genesis Invitational each February.

The historic course has hosted three major championships dating back to 1948 and is scheduled to host the 2026 U.S.

Women's Open and the Summer Olympics in 2028.

But Wednesday, photos emerged of the hallowed grounds being threatened by the fast-moving fire.

A request for comment was not immediately returned by the course.

Updated video of the wildfires rapidly approaching Riviera Country Club.

Reporters in the area have estimated the fires are moving at 2-3 football fields PER MINUTE.

pic.twitter.com/U7KZjCMv84 Tee Times (@TeeTimesPub) January 8, 2025 Sports media Wednesday's wildfires also forced a change in programming at ESPN, as the company's production facility in Los Angeles was closed, forcing "SportsCenter," which is broadcast from Bristol, Conn., to run Wednesday afternoon in place of "NBA Today." Malika Andrews, who is the host of "NBA Today" and "NBA Countdown," shared the update on social media Wednesday morning and said her thoughts are with the people and animals in the Pacific Palisades.

Elsewhere in Los Angeles, radio station 710 ESPN was down Wednesday due to the radio transmitter's location in the Altadena Fire, ESPN Los Angeles shared Wednesday.

The radio station handles broadcasts of the Lakers, Rams and USC football and men's and women's basketball games.

Due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, radio broadcasts of tonights mens and womens basketball games will not be aired live.

We will record the broadcasts and air at a later date.

Our thoughts remain with everyone impacted during this difficult time.

USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) January 8, 2025 College basketball Pepperdine University announced Wednesday its women's basketball game against Portland on Thursday would be postponed.

A rescheduled date has not been established yet, and no news has been shared yet regarding the status of the men's team's game on Saturday.

The Athletic s Jourdan Rodrigue, Daniel Popper and Law Murray contributed to this story.

(Photo: Apu Gomes / Getty Images; Graphics via The Athletic's John Bradford, Drew Jordan ).

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