San Francisco Giants Play Under Eerie Orange Skies as Deadly Wildfires Sweep the West Coast
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty
The San Francisco Giants played under an ominous sky as California battled a collection of wildfires that have scorched over 2 million acres of land.
Images from the team's game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday showed an orange sky above Oracle Park in Downtown San Francisco caused by wildfires that have killed at least seven people in California, Oregon, and Washington this week.
The decision to go through with the game despite the blazes and the eerie sky was made early Wednesday, and manager Gabe Kapler said the club was monitoring air quality in the area.
"Certainly, it was a strange look when we all woke up this morning and found the orange-ish/red hue to the sky," Kapler told NBC Sports Bay Area. "Walking onto the field today was certainly different, in the middle of the afternoon and having the sky look a little bit dark."
"But my understanding is that the air quality is okay," he continued. "Of course, we'll keep tabs on it, and if anything changes we'll make the best decisions for the health and well-being of our players."
According to NBC Sports, the air quality in the area leading up to the game was rated 90, considered moderate.
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Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Oracle Park
Oracle Park has been closed to spectators all season due to social distancing restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Athletics also hosted a game on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros at the nearby Oakland Coliseum. The team played under a similar orange-grey sky and pictures showed ash blanketing the stadium's seats.
According to Yahoo Sports, Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters he played Jimi Hendrix's "The Sky Is Crying" before the game.
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"The sky was crying today," he told reporters. "It was orange. I thought I was going to go outside and see Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. It’s a strange and eerie feeling.”
Hundreds of thousands of acres have been charred along the West Coast due to the blazes. In California, 14,000 firefighters are battling 28 major blazes that have burned over 2.5 million acres, according to Cal Fire.
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U.S. firefighters got a round of applause as they arrived at the Sydney airport to help aid with wildfire relief
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According to The New York Times and CNN, nearly 35 fires have swept across more than 300,000 acres in Oregon, and in Washington, 480,000 acres have been scorched thus far.
“This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said, CNN reported. “We are not getting any relief from the weather conditions. Winds continue to feed these fires and push them into our towns and cities.”
