Campfire smoke visible in the Sacramento Kings arena before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The smoke of a forest fire raging in Butte County – known as Camp Fire – has spread into downtown Sacramento and was visible overhead. from the Golden 1 Center before and during the Kings' game against the LA Lakers on Saturday.

"We are aware that there is a smoke problem," a spokesman for Kings told ESPN shortly before the outbreak.

To combat these conditions, the employees of the arena entrances where the ticket holders have arrived have been ordered to keep the doors closed as much as possible during the preparatory window, the spokesman added.

"I do not want to sound silly, but that kind of crap on everyone," said Kings coach Dave Joerger. "Wherever you come from [you notice the smoke]. Today, I immediately started calling our staff: "Is it really bad in town? What's going on here? It's just a really sad affair. "

The fire began Thursday and has already destroyed the city of Paradise, resulting in the deaths of 23 people, according to Butte County Sheriff, Kory Honea. Two people were found dead in a forest fire in southern California, bringing the total number of casualties to 25.

Several Lakers members said they could see the fire burning from the plane during their flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento on Friday.

A slight veiled smoke was visible in the arena during the Saturday morning shootings.

"You can feel it" LeBron James said before the game. "We did not really go up and down [running] like that, to the point where you can say it affects you or not, but every time there is smoke, you know that it can affect us all. Not just us as athletes but everyone. Everyone is affected by pollution. "

In the 101-86 win of the Lakers, James finished with 31 points in 31 minutes, a high point in the game, but the air in the arena "affected him a lot".

"I had a slight headache before the game," said James. "And I can not identify any other reason why it was happening outside the smoke, but it disappeared after the start of the game, and I hope that I will be able to rest well tonight. "

The Lakers center, JaVale McGee, who has asthma, has also reported symptoms.

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  It took 12 games, but the Los Angeles Lakers finally managed to hold less than 110 points and improve to 6-6.

"My belly ached as if I was hungry or something like that, but it was due to the smoke, so sure, so … but we still won, so everything is fine, "he said.

Joerger said the Kings were following the changing situation from noon to 7 pm. PT.

"I'm not a scientist, but the smoke goes to the lowest places, is not it, as if it was heavy?" Joerger said. "And he arrives by the parking ramp and I'm interested to see [its presence during the game]. "

A staff member at the arena told ESPN that the mist in the upper bowl of the arena was atypical and not something that happened when fires ravaged Northern California last season. Before departure, several blocks away from the arena, you could see a civilian walking the streets with a surgical mask.

"Breathe, it's a little more muggier", attack the Lakers Kyle Kuzma told ESPN before the match. "You can feel it from the jump."

Kuzma also mentioned the Woolsey Fire which currently consumes nearly 200,000 hectares of land in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

"Climate change, or I do not know what it is, but there are many coming," said Kuzma.

James told ESPN that he could see Woolsey's fire from the roof of his estate in Brentwood and that he had several friends who had had to evacuate their homes in Malibu because of the spread of flames.