A 750-acre fire in the mountains just northeast of downtown L.A. has been pumping thick, odorous smoke in the area's skies, but as of now, this afternoon's Trojan practice will continue on as planned.
As always, USC's athletic trainers are prepared. They're already watching the air quality and getting ready to monitor players during the 4 p.m. practice, which was already going to be facing high temperatures before the fires made things potentially more dangerous. Asthmatic athletes are at increased risk with the air quality rapidly decreasing, athletic trainers said, so they'll be on watch this afternoon.
"We'll keep a very close eye on certain players," head athletic trainer Russ Romano said.
The L.A. skyline, just 2.5 miles from the USC campus, is hardly visible through the thick smoke that has blanketed the area as a wildfire scorches the nearby Angeles National Forest.
