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The NFC Wild Card Round game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams has officially been moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, amid deadly fires in Los Angeles County, the league announced on Thursday (January 9).
The playoff matchup was scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but a contingency plan to relocate it to State Farm Stadium, the home stadium of the Rams' NFC West Division rival Arizona Cardinals, was already announced on Wednesday (January 8) night before made official the following day.
"In the interest of public safety, Monday's Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL announced today," the league said in a news release. "The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA. The game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes at its scheduled 8:00 p.m. ET time."
At least five people have died and tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate after six life-threatening fires raced across Los Angeles County, CNN reports. The Palisades Fire, which is reported to have stretched to more than 17,000 acres between Malibu and Santa Monica, has destroyed at least 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive wildfire to ever hit Los Angeles County.
The latest fire to breakout was the Sunset Fire, which was present on top of the iconic Hollywood Hills, forcing even more mass evacuations. An estimated 130,000 people were impacted by evacuation warnings issued in relation to Eaton and Palisades fires, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed via CNN.