The N.F.L announced Thursday that a playoff game between the Vikings and Rams, originally scheduled for Southern California, will be played in Arizona.
The N.F.L announced the emergency plan The wild card game on Wednesday and Monday evenings will be played at the home of the Arizona Cardinals.
This is the third Los Angeles game affected this week. A Kings game and a Lakers game were postponed because of the flames.
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The exterior of SoFi Stadium during a game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on January 3, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Kevin Reece/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The game was rescheduled “in the interest of public safety,” the NFL said in a statement. “The decision was made in consultation with government officials, participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
The time of the game is still the same and starts at 8:00 PM ET.
The Rams had a scheduled day off on Wednesday, although the Los Angeles Chargerswho share SoFi Stadium and head to Houston for a wild-card game Saturday, limited players’ time outside during practice because of poor air quality.
State Farm Stadium has played a similar role in the past. In 2003, the Dolphins and Chargers played in Glendale due to wildfires in San Diego. During the 2020 COVID season, the 49ers played three “home” games there.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, without fans during the San Francisco 49ers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Several active wildfires, including the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, have devastated communities in the Los Angeles area, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The fires burned nearly 30,000 acres during a wind event in Santa Ana, forcing the evacuation of at least 130,000 people in the area. At least five people have died in the fires and more than a thousand buildings have been destroyed.
This week’s wildfires brought new attention to the issue of insurers no longer accepting new policies or refusing to renew previous policies in California communities at high risk of wildfires. And prominent entertainment figures called out the moves.
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard during a powerful storm on January 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Times noted that the city has not received more than a tenth of an inch of rain since May 5.
Eric Revell and Scott Thompson of Fox News contributed to this report.
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