Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate Monday as the Sandy Fire, a wind-driven brush fire, burned more than 500 acres of dry vegetation and damaged at least one home in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Ventura County Fire Department reported the fire around 10 a.m. and said it spread rapidly through the morning, fanned by gusts that topped 30 mph.
Scott Dettorre, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, said the winds began to subside later in the day. “As the sun sets, those winds will calm down even more,” Dettorre said.
Fire crews from multiple agencies responded with helicopters performing water drops over the rugged terrain. Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 residents, was covered in smoke as the fire chewed through dry brush. Dettorre said he did not know exactly how many people were under evacuation orders, but the orders covered several neighborhoods in and around the city.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and authorities said they had not yet determined when full containment might be achieved. No injuries had been reported, fire officials said. The Sandy Fire was the latest in a series of Southern California wildfires occurring amid dry conditions and seasonal Santa Ana winds.