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Ann Kerr wrote in the text that the home “tragically burned,� the Chronicle said. 

She sent a group text in response to friends and acquaintances who had checked on her safety, said the article by Chronicle reporter . She also wrote that she was staying with friends, and eventually at a hotel, and was “heartened by all your loving messages.�

The wind-whipped fire, sparked Tuesday, has destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures and ripped through 17,200 acres.

Steve Kerr, the former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats and NBA star who coaches the Golden State Warriors, had started his regular post-game news conference Tuesday night by noting that his mother was among the tens of thousands forced to evacuate that day during the multiple Los Angeles-area wildfires.

“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires,� Steve Kerr said. "Everything I’m seeing and reading is just terrifying what’s happening down there, so just want to send thoughts to everyone who’s going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important.�

The Kerr family bought the ranch-style home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1969, the year Steve turned 4, and he spent most of his childhood there, Kroichick reported. Kerr played for Palisades High School before joining the Wildcats for Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson in 1983.

The Kerr family didn’t have “proof of the house’s fate,� but believes it burned due to the "overwhelming likelihood," Steve's sister, Susan van de Ven, told the Chronicle. Officials are not allowing anyone on the street, accessible only by narrow, winding roads. “We assume it’s gone due to the devastation in the surrounding areas,� John Kerr, Steve’s brother, told the newspaper. Videos show street after street in Pacific Palisades neighborhoods scorched to the ground.

The Kerr house, full of family mementos, was surrounded by trees and thick vegetation, leading to a canyon below, the Chronicle wrote.

Five fires were raging across the Los Angeles region Wednesday night. The known death toll was five and dozens of people were being treated for burns.   

Ann Kerr, who turned 90 last August, coordinates the Visiting Fulbright Scholar program at the UCLA International Institute. The Chronicle noted she was due to meet her winter-quarter students Wednesday. “A great distraction, which I appreciate!� she texted.

The family also spent several years living in the Middle East, where Steve's father, Malcolm Kerr, was a college professor. Malcolm Kerr was killed by gunmen in January 1984, in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, while serving as president of American University of Beirut.  

Steve Kerr, along with homegrown ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ great Sean Elliott, led ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to its first Final Four in 1988. He later donated $1 million for renovations to U of A's McKale Center. He has nine NBA title rings, having won five titles as a player and four as head coach of the Warriors. He was named one of the 15 best coaches in NBA history by a panel of current and former NBA coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association.

He and the Warriors were traveling to Detroit on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip.