LeBron James among evacuees in S. California fire

LeBron James PHOTO Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP

SANTA ROSA, California – Basketball star LeBron James is among evacuees as a fire that erupted early Monday in Southern California grows to more than 70 acres.

The Los Angeles Lakers player tweeted just before 4 a.m. that he was trying to find rooms for his family after having to “emergency evacuate” his house, calling the fires “no joke.” He later tweeted that he found accommodation, said he was praying for those affected and advised people to get to safety.

As of 4:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department said the fire was moving in a westward direction. The Mandeville Canyon and Mountain Gate communities remain under a mandatory evacuation order that verges into Brentwood, and the evacuation warning area has been expanded westward to include parts of Topanga State Park and the Pacific Palisades.

Evacuation centers are open in Westwood and Sherman Oaks.