NFL legend Ronnie Lott -- along with several huge sports stars -- was evacuated from a hotel in Sonoma, CA minutes before it was engulfed in flames ... TMZ Sports has learned.
Lott, Byron Scott, Bret Saberhagen, Dan Jansen and more were all in town for the UCSF Medical Center Celebrity Golf Classic ... when the raging fires in Northern California began to spread in their direction.
The majority of the VIP guests were staying at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa -- and when the flames began to get close, officials ordered the hotel to evacuate the guests.