On Wednesday, at least 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate after devastating wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area. With over 1,000 structures destroyed, the flames headed toward the highly populated and affluent neighborhoods home to some of California’s biggest names. Hollywood stars such as  Mark Hamill and Mandy Moore were among those forced to flee while the home of Vice President Kamala Harris was also included in the evacuation zone.

Some of the best NFL players, such as Geoff and Mitchell Schwartz, and former quarterback Chase Daniel, live in or around the Pacific Palisades, which the fires now threaten while families of two NBA coaches are among those affected. As the fire engulfed more than 7,000 acres of land leaving two people dead, the NFL community is standing in solidarity with those affected, offering their prayers and support.

Christian McCaffrey shared a post from the LA Times, which highlighted the devastation by the fires, on his IG story with prayer hands emoji. Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby posted a profound message on his Instagram writing, “#PrayForLA 🖤,” while ex-quarterback Dan Orlovsky shared his concern on X writing, “Stay safe.”

But maybe the most vivid and terrifying testimony came from Chase Daniel, an NFL veteran and former Chargers quarterback. In a letter with an aerial image of the wildfire engulfing the region, Daniel wrote, “These fires are much worse than people think….just absolutely devastating Pacific Palisades & Malibu. I work about 6 miles from all this & currently headed in now. This picture is from a plane to show the sheer size of it all.”

The fires broke out this week, claiming more than 2,900 acres so far. But bad winds have contributed, drawing the fires all the way close to homes in areas such as Santa Monica. Then, late Tuesday night, evacuations went into effect for all those north of San Vicente, and people raced to safety. Residents such as Isabel Mahon made horrific videos of the devastation. ‘‘The sky is glowing orange, and flames can be seen in the distance,” she said. Strong winds and drought are driving the flames, and it’s making it hard for firefighters to put them out.

The Eaton fire, which broke out Tuesday evening, had burned more than 10,000 acres near Altadena and Pasadena and claimed two lives, claimed  L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone during a news conference on Wednesday morning. In Pacific Palisades, the Palisades fire burned through more than 5,000 acres as of Wednesday morning and the Hurst fire, which spread quickly in Sylmar, had burned more than 500 acres.

While roughly 1,500 firefighters were assigned to the Eaton and Palisades fires on Wednesday, they are battling extreme winds with officials warning of a “life-threatening, destructive and widespread windstorm.”

Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield’s wife, Emily Wilkinson also shared a message sending her prayers to those affected by the wildfires. On her IG story, she wrote, “Sending prayers to my friends, family and everyone  in the LA area, being affected by these heartbreaking wildfires! I’m praying for the residents, animals, first responders and everyone else being affected- that they may prioritize their safety and remember things are just things and I pray these fires slow down.”

Christen Harper, the fiancée of Rams quarterback Jared Goff, reshared a New York Times piece on her Instagram story with a simple, profound message: “Stay safe, everyone.”  Olivia Culpo, the wife of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, also posted a heartfelt message on her IG story, writing, “Praying for everyone affected by these devastating fires. Thank you to the heroes working tirelessly to protect our communities and wildlife.”

These fires are much worse than people think….just absolutely devastating Pacific Palisades & Malibu.

California’s wildfire usually starts in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. However, January wildfires are not unprecedented, with the region experiencing one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.

On X, Gov. Gavin Newsom posted that more than 1,400 firefighting personnel have been deployed in California to combat the fires, while National Guard troops have also been called in to help.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed that their families were evacuated after fires engulfed the Palisades. 

Reddick said, “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.”

Kerr revealed that his 90-year-old mother was also among those forced to evacuate.“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires. My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate,” he said.

While attempts are on to bring the fire under control and people are being reduced from the situation, the NFL is also monitoring the situation closely.

With three major blazes burning through the Los Angeles metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, thousands of firefighters are trying to bring the situation under control. Their fight has been hampered by the fact that the windy conditions have not allowed firefighting aircraft to fly.

While the Los Angeles Chargers altered their practice schedule on Wednesday, the NFL is keeping an eye on the situation ahead of the wildcard game between the Vikings and the Raiders scheduled to take place on Monday at the SoFi stadium.

“The NFL continues to closely monitor developments and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement. Given the situation at the moment in LA, it won’t be hard to imagine the league taking alternative venues into consideration for the wildcard game.

Weather-based issues have forced the league to look into other locations in the recent past with the Browns playing the Bills at Detroit’s Ford Field due to a “winter storm with lake effect snow” that was slated to hit the Buffalo area prior to kickoff in 2022. Last January, the NFL postponed the Steelers-Bills wild-card game one day after a heavy snowstorm hit the Buffalo area

For now, our prayers and support go out to those affected by the fires in Los Angeles County and we hope that the situation is brought under control at the earliest.