Lebron James and family evacuated from home as wildfires continue to blaze across southern California

Not even celebrities are exempt from the destruction caused by the wildfires currently blazing across “The Golden State.”

Shortly before Halloween, well-known basketball star Lebron James announced to his fans in a tweet that he and his family had evacuated their home near Los Angeles and were seeking accommodations.  

“I [pray] for all the families in the area that could be affected by these [fires] now!” James tweeted. “Pretty please get to safety ASAP.”

James, longtime leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Akron native and St.Vincent St. Mary’s graduate, moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018. Though the Lakers were 10th in the Western Conference last year, they hold first place in their current season. Despite facing challenges in his personal life, James continues to dominate the game of basketball.

Wildfires continue to blaze across Southern California, destroying everything in their path. So far they have stretched across over 177,000 acres and have resulted in three fatalities as well as eight injuries. The cost of suppression has amounted to over 163 million.

In late October, the Kincade fire was declared the largest of the year, burning a total of 77, 758 acres in Sonoma County.

Though a Nov. 4th statement said that most of the fires have been contained, the threat has not completely vanished.

On Sunday Nov. 17, The National Weather Service issued a high alert fire warning for Southern California with power outages likely. Meanwhile, Northern California faces the risk of high winds and dry conditions.

California governor, Gavin Newsom has faced a great deal of criticism for his reactions to the fire crisis, even from President Trump. Still, he remains undeterred in taking all available measures to put a stop to these disasters.

“We’re successfully waging war against thousands of fires started across the state in the last few weeks due to extreme weather created by climate change while Trump is conducting a full on assault against the antidotes,” Newsom said in a statement to The Washington Post.

This is not a problem specific to 2019. Nor is 2019 the worst case of wildfires California has ever seen.

In 2018, wildfires consumed 1,893,913 acres, costing 3.5 billion. 22,751 buildings were destroyed and 97 civilians died, along with six firefighters, making it the deadliest season currently on record.

With this years fires winding to a stop and suppression being successful at long last, Californians everywhere are asking the same question: when will this stop being a yearly problem?

There is no news on when the James family will move back home, or the condition of their house as of Wednesday, Nov. 20.