DALLAS (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed that his family members were among those compelled to evacuate their residences in Southern California on Tuesday due to a wildfire exacerbated by powerful winds around Los Angeles. The conflagration ravaged a Los Angeles hillside where Redick resides alongside other prominent figures, consuming homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation mandates for tens of thousands.
Before the Lakers faced off against the Mavericks in Dallas, Redick acknowledged the seriousness of the predicament affecting his family and community. “I just want to acknowledge and express thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now,” Redick articulated prior to the Lakers’ 118-97 defeat to the Mavericks. “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 disclosed during its broadcast that the Lakers’ return flight to Los Angeles might encounter delays. Nonetheless, the team confirmed that the flight remained scheduled for Tuesday night, notwithstanding the potential for smoke-engulfed skies in the LA region necessitating alternative flight paths.
Authorities refrained from disclosing an exact count of structures impacted or razed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but stated that approximately 30,000 residents were under evacuation directives, with more than 13,000 structures facing imminent peril. The blaze ignited around 10:30 a.m., shortly after the onset of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather Service cautioned could pose a “life-threatening” hazard and was deemed the fiercest to hit Southern California in over a decade. The precise origin of the fire remained undetermined, and no casualties had been reported, officials confirmed.
The winds were predicted to intensify overnight and persist for several days, generating sporadic gusts potentially exceeding 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills — encompassing regions that had not experienced substantial rainfall in months.
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