LeBron James Evacuates Home Due to California Wildfires

A new California wildfire broke out in Los Angeles on Sunday in an area where many celebrities are [...]

By Chris Mottram

A new California wildfire broke out in Los Angeles on Sunday in an area where many celebrities are known to live. One of them is LeBron James, who tweeted that his family was forced to evacuate from its Sherman Oaks neighborhood. James documented the experience is a series of tweets.

"Man these LA [fires] aren't no joke. Had to emergency evacuate my house and I've been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far!," he wrote.

"Finally found a place to accommodate us! Crazy night man! I [pray] for all the families in the area that could be affected by these [fires] now!," he continued in follow-up tweets. "Pretty please get to safety ASAP. My best wishes as well to the first responders right now doing what they do best!"

What's now being called the Getty Fire for its proximity to the Getty Center broke out around 1:30 p.m. PT on Sunday just west of Interstate 405. Since then, the fire has burned over 600 acres and destroyed eight homes.

Over 10,000 homes and commercial buildings are under a mandatory evacuation. "Get out when we say get out," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. The Mayor also announced on Monday that an active arson investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire. "We're not ruling out anything," Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said.

Like James, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to leave his LA home. "We evacuated safely at 3:30 this morning. If you are in an evacuation zone, don't screw around," he tweeted. "Get out. Right now I am grateful for the best firefighters in the world, the true action heroes who charge into the danger to protect their fellow Californians."

UCLA was forced to cancel classes because of the Getty Fire. "UCLA is cancelling classes today. While Getty Fire poses no immediate threat to campus, members of our campus community live in evacuation areas or may be impacted by closures. Employees should report to work if they can arrive safely," a statement from the school read.

There are at least 16 ongoing wildfires in the state currently. The largest is the Kincade Fire near the Bay Area, which has burned over 66,000 acres and is 5 percent controlled.

"Federal resources have been made available and we continue to work with the Governor and his staff to determine if additional support is necessary," the White House said in a statement. "The President will continue to monitor the situation."

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