NFL moves tonight's game to Arizona

Fast-moving fires have killed 13 people and caused major damage.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- With devastating wildfires raging through much of San Diego County, the NFL moved tonight's Chargers-Dolphins game -- which was to have been Junior Seau's eagerly anticipated homecoming -- from San Diego to Tempe, Ariz.
San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy urged the NFL to either postpone or move the game, and commissioner Paul Tagliabue complied, moving it to the Arizona Cardinals' home field.
The city advised the league it could not play the game in Qualcomm Stadium, where the parking lot was turned into a major evacuation center for residents ordered out of their homes.
Catastrophic results
The sky throughout the county was choked with smoke and ash from three fast-moving fires that burned more than 277,000 acres, killed 13 people and burned nearly 850 homes by Sunday night. The state's largest fire, in eastern San Diego County, caused at least nine deaths.
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said he also told the league the game shouldn't be played in San Diego.
"I just can't see us turning around and going to our stadium and playing Monday night football," he said. "There's too much devastation going on for that. Too much.
"I think the league did the right thing. To turn around and run out of the tunnel at Qualcomm with all the things going on, it wasn't right for me."
Monday night's game was to be a homecoming for Seau, who played his first 13 seasons in San Diego before being traded to the Dolphins this year.
"Moving the game is very disappointing to everyone," Seau said, "but obviously for the safety of everyone it is probably the best decision to make right now.
"Our prayers are with the San Diego residents and everyone that is affected by it."
Donations welcomed
Tickets to the game on the campus of Arizona State University will be free, but people will be asked to make a donation to the San Diego Wildfire Relief Fund.
"Many of us visit San Diego. Obviously it's a neighboring community that's got some real problems," Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill said. "We can all raise a little bit of money ... and try to help out our friends over in San Diego."
Chargers ticket holders will get full refunds, the team said.
Trucks were driving some of the equipment for ABC's "Monday Night Football" telecast the six hours from San Diego to Tempe. Those involved with the broadcast were driving to Burbank, where they were scheduled to fly to Tempe. Analyst John Madden was the exception -- he was taking his bus to Arizona.