The NBA is postponing tonight’s game between the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets due to the ongoing fires in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Lakers coach JJ Redick was among those who have lost their home.
A statement from the NBA said: ‘The entire NBA family sends its thoughts and support to the community of Los Angeles during this challenging time.
‘We are grateful for the thousands of local firefighters and first responders who have demonstrated enormous bravery. Our prayers remain with those affected by the unimaginable devastation caused by the wildfires.’
Firefighters are still trying to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena.
The fires have sent thousands of people, including A-list celebrities and movie stars, frantically fleeing their homes.
The NBA is postponing the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets game due to the ongoing fires in LA
Fires in the Los Angeles area have killed five people and ravaged communities across the city
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in the blazes
The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
A day earlier, hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena that is about 25 miles east. Aircraft had to be grounded for a time because of the winds, hampering firefighting efforts.
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in those blazes – called the Palisades and Eaton fires – and the number is expected to increase. The five deaths recorded so far were from the Eaton Fire.
Some 130,000 people have been put under evacuation orders, as fires have consumed a total of about 42 square miles – nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
More to follow.
