Chargers final practice amid California wildfires looks straight out of apocalypse movie

Rapidly spreading wildfires in Southern California are ravaging the Los Angeles County area. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate as the wildfires have reduced buildings into rubble and dropped air quality to unhealthy levels. Yet, preparations for the NFL playoffs continue.

The Los Angeles Chargers continued practice for their upcoming Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday. Although the wildfires are not a direct threat to the team's practice facility in El Segundo, the area's U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 200 on Wednesday, per IQ Air. Any value above 100 is considered unhealthy.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh adjusted the team's practice plans to limit the amount of time players spent outdoors due to the air quality. The offensive and defensive units practiced separately to limit their time on the field.

California wildfires color the sky at Chargers' practice facility

A gloomy fire-tinted sky loomed over the Chargers' final practice session on Thursday. Players were on the field in masks as ash floated in the air, per The Athletic's Daniel Popper.

"We're trying to keep everybody safe and healthy as much as possible and also at the same time get our preparation done for the game," defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said, via ESPN.

Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal had "a really intense night" as his home in Calabasas was impacted by the fires and the rolling power outages, per ESPN's Kris Rhim.

The Chargers' last playoff game was two seasons ago, and it ended in humiliation and heartbreak. Los Angeles took a 27-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars but then proceeded to fall apart as the Jaguars mounted a comeback to pull off a 31-30 victory. They finished the following season with a 5-12 record and fired their general manager and head coach while facing a $50 million salary cap deficit. Harbaugh has rejuvenated the team in his first season as head coach, leading the Chargers to the AFC's No. 5 seed with an 11-6 record.

Los Angeles finished with the top-scoring defense in the regular season, and they're entering the playoffs on a three-game winning streak. In comparison, the Texans have lost two of their past three games, including a 31-2 throttling against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17.

The Chargers announced they will donate $200,000 in targeted funding to the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and pet rescue organizations sheltering animals displaced by the wildfires. The Los Angeles Rams are scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on Monday night, but the NFL is continuing to monitor the situation. If needed, the game could be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals.