What the wildfires mean for LA's readiness to host 3 major sporting events

The stage is set for Los Angeles to host three major sporting events in the next four years, but following historic wildfires, new concerns have sprung up on whether the city will be ready.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts says he is looking out over his city as he sees first-rate venues ready to host the World Cup, Super Bowl and Olympics.

This is happening amid the raging wildfires that have devastated other parts of Los Angeles to the north.

“The County of Los Angeles has 88 cities. This fire is involved in three,” Butts said. “This is a terrible event, and we have firefighter and police personnel working 24 hours a day to combat it. But the reality is, this is not consuming the entirety of LA County or the entirety of LA city.”

Inglewood’s Intuit Dome and Sofi Stadium are slated to host portions of the Summer Olympics in 2028, along with other venues in Downtown LA and USC.

“Myself, LA Mayor Karen Bass, her staff and the city of Inglewood, the LA28 organizing committee, there's been a continuous dialog and planning process probably for well over 18 months to two years,” he said.

“What are the conversations been since the fires? What are you guys talking about? What's the plan,” NBC’s Bigad Shaban asked Butts.

“There's been no conversations since the fires. We have an ongoing structured plan to be prepared for the LA28. And this has not derailed those talks,” Butts said.

Linsey Gallagher heads the tourism bureau for Napa County, which has also experienced devastating wildfires in recent years.

“We have experienced this nightmare in Napa Valley, too many times recently,” she said.

It’s rebuilding communities Gallagher said it’s most important but added that ultimately, Los Angeles will need to focus on welcoming back tourism.

“Many of the sporting events are slated to take place in unimpacted areas,” she said. “That’s where I think, the message is to invite the world to come again, to let them know that their financial and economic support are important and that the experience is going to be, you know, once again, a very positive one.”

It was during President Donald Trump’s first term in office that LA scored its spot as the host city for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

While Trump has butted heads with California politicians before, Gov. Gavin Newsom believes Trump’s ties to securing the Olympics are only more of a reason for the president to ensure the federal government will do what it can to help LA recover.

“This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine,” Newsom said.

Casey Wasserman, the head of LA’s Olympic host committee, recently met with Trump to talk about the games. He released the following statement on Thursday:

"We are grateful for his unwavering commitment to LA28 and his leadership in bringing the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time in more than 30 years. We look forward to partnering with him and his administration to deliver a safe and successful games our nation can be proud of.”