Jason Kelce has been praised by NFL fans for wearing a Los Angeles Fire Department cap on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown.
Kelce wore the blue cap front and center on the broadcast The Rams' playoff game against the Minnesota vikingswhich was moved from SoFi Stadium to Glendale, Arizona, due to the ongoing fires still ravaging Los Angeles.
Recently retired Rams legend Aaron Donald wore the same hat on the field before the game.
A growing force of firefighters continued to battle massive infernos across the city on Monday as more powerful winds approached and threatened recent gains against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, crews prepared to hit hotspots across the region, and dozens of tankers arrived to replenish supplies after hydrants ran dry last week.
In less than a week, four fires around America's second-largest city have burned more than 62 square miles, about three times the size of Manhattan.
Jason Kelce wore a Los Angeles Fire Department cap on ESPN's Rams-Vikings coverage
The decision was made last week to move Monday night's final wild card game to Arizona and promises to be an emotional evening for the LA Rams and their fans.
That meant Kelce's travel plans changed with the ESPN team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona to cover the game.
The LAFD cap worn by Travis' older brother also had the Rams logo on the side.
Fans took to social media to applaud the Super Bowl winner and former Philadelphia Eagles center for using it on air.
One wrote: “Love seeing Jason Kelce rocking the LAFD hat tonight on Monday Night Countdown.”
Another commented: “Jason Kelce wearing the LAFD hat showing his support on NFL Live.”
A third added: “Jason Kelce sporting an LAFD cap, thank you for the legend.”
The Rams headed to the Arizona desert on Friday night and have been using their division rival's practice facility all weekend.
The Cardinals opened their training facility in Tempe for the Rams' use, and there was a large banner reading “Welcome Los Angeles Rams” with both teams' logos on the front door.
A growing force of firefighters continued to battle massive infernos across Los Angeles.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill even sent two team planes to Los Angeles on Friday to help the team travel to Arizona. Rams players were allowed to bring their families, and even some pets, for the trip.
Los Angeles still hopes to have a sizable home-field advantage for Monday's game, even if it's about 375 miles and a six-hour drive from SoFi Stadium.
The team's season ticket holders bought 25,000 tickets in the first hour of availability on Friday and They were lining up before dawn on Monday to make the bus trip.
A line of fans could be seen surrounding the stadium before 5:30 a.m. local time.
And once fans got on the buses, they even received gifts, as shown in an X post from Allen sales fan He showed a towel and a foam finger on his seat.
Los Angeles won nine straight games in Arizona before the streak was broken earlier this season.
McVay said Los Angeles requested the visiting locker room on Monday, even though they are still technically the home team, because of their familiarity with the space.
Only a few Rams employees had been directly affected by the fires until Thursday afternoon, when the Kenneth Fire broke out a few miles from the team's training complex in suburban Woodland Hills, sending smoke skyward. at an alarming speed.
Firefighting helicopter drops water as Palisades fire grows
Four fires have consumed more than 62 square miles in Los Angeles' most affluent neighborhoods, with homes and A-list celebrity restaurants among the 12,300 structures leveled.
Defensive lineman Kobie Turner said receiver Puka Nucua's home was in an evacuation warning zone, so he came and slept at his house one night.
The National Weather Service warned of “particularly dangerous” dry and windy weather, especially on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 105 km/h, according to experts.
Much of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.
Firefighters made progress over the weekend on the region's two largest fires: the Eaton Fire near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire in a wealthy enclave along the Pacific Coast.
The Eaton Fire is about one-third contained, while the Palisades Fire is much less contained.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen are missing, he said.