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According to: The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Major League Baseball News




SAN DIEGO -- Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn was among several people with ties to the Padres who were evacuated from their homes on Monday, as wildfires continued to burn in San Diego County.
Gwynn and his wife, Alicia, left their home in Poway, located northeast of downtown San Diego, at 6 a.m. PT. They were staying with their daughter in Mission Valley.

"I think we're going to be all right. I hope," Gwynn told the Associated Press. "When we left it was fine, but who knows? We were up watching the news, they gave a description of what area they wanted evacuated, and it was us.

"There was lots of smoke. It was still dark, but you could see ash falling everywhere. Trees were down and the power had just went off when we left."

According to the Associated Press report, Gwynn didn't have much time to collect anything other than clothes and insurance papers.

The Padres have been in contact with the mayor's office and other local officials since Monday, and have extended an offer to make PETCO Park available if needed as a temporary shelter, utilizing the service level as a "sleeping area" with 400 cots.

The Padres sent a group of front office staff to Qualcomm Stadium, which is being used as an evacuation site, to assist the Salvation Army efforts there.

Players Kevin Kouzmanoff and Adrian Gonzalez joined the group. The main volunteer effort will include serving food and beverages to evacuees.

San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman, manager Bud Black and CEO Sandy Alderson were among others who left their homes. Hoffman and Black reside in Rancho Sante Fe, and Alderson lives in Del Mar.

Owner John Moores lives in Rancho Sante Fe, though it's not known if he left his home. Pitcher Brett Tomko, former Padres slugger Phil Nevin and former manager Bruce Bochy, who reside in Poway, evacuated their homes on Monday.

Hoffman told the AP that he left his home at about 6:30 a.m. PT and was heading north to stay with family until he and his family can return to their home.

"I'm just thinking about San Diego as a whole right now, being under siege by all these fires," Hoffman said. "I'm sure everybody is kind of doing due diligence as far as getting their families out."

The Padres weren't the only professional team in town to be effected by the wildfires that, by Tuesday morning, had destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses in San Diego County. More than 500,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Phillip Rivers were among 40 members of the football organization who evacuated their homes.

The Chargers will spend the rest of the week practicing in Arizona. The team is to play host to Houston on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

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