The NFL has issued a statement on an upcoming NFC Wild Card playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams as wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles suburbs.
The game is set to be played on Monday night at the Rams’ home of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
‘The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community,’ the league’s statement read. ‘We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires.
‘We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium. As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed.
‘In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, if necessary.
‘We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.’
The NFL has a contingency plan if the Vikings-Rams playoff game can’t be played in California
The game is set to take place at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles County city of Inglewood
The game could get moved to State Farm Stadium – home of the Arizona Cardinals
The Los Angeles sports world has been rocked by multiple concurrent wildfires – which have spread to encompass tens of thousands of acres and is not contained.
It led the NHL to cancel a Wednesday night hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA.
In the NBA, Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said he is ‘stepping away’ from the team as his family evacuates from the raging inferno in Pacific Palisades. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his family have also evacuated from the same area.
What’s more, ESPN canceled Wednesday’s broadcast of NBA Today from its LA studio, while schools abutting the Palisades fire such as UCLA and Pepperdine are holding steady, but prepared to cancel any number of sporting events at a moments notice.
Three major fires were burning in areas of the vast Los Angeles metroplex on Wednesday following two days of extraordinary winds.
At least 70,000 people are under evacuation orders, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed. Thus far, five people have been killed in the fire north of Pasadena in a canyon several miles east of the venerable Rose Bowl.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their preparations.
The Chargers changed their practice schedule Wednesday to minimize their players’ outdoor time in coastal El Segundo, while the Rams don’t resume practice until Thursday. The Chargers are on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Multiple fires throughout greater Los Angeles are causing devastation to the area
The Rams said no players or staff members had yet been affected by the fires. The team is headquartered in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood located about 13 miles north of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, but separated by the Santa Monica Mountains.
The blaze began around 10:30am Tuesday, shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be ‘life-threatening’ and the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.
The winds were expected to increase overnight and continue for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100mph (160kph) in mountains and foothills – including in areas that haven´t seen substantial rain in months.
