SIMI VALLEY, CA - MAY 19, 2026: Tim Clark with the City of Downey Fire Department, right, watches as the Sandy Fire burns off Redwood Grove ct. on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Simi Valley, CA. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds slowed the Sandy fire's advance in Simi Valley overnight, holding the blaze at 1,386 acres burned with 5% containment. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — More than 17,000 people are under evacuation orders as a wildfire continues to threaten suburban homes in Southern California. The Sandy Fire in hills above Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles, had consumed more than two square miles of dry brush as of Tuesday. The fire is 5% contained, and the cause is under investigation. Evacuation orders and warnings are still in place for several neighborhoods in Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 people. Meanwhile, firefighters are battling a 23-square-mile blaze on Santa Rosa Island, off the Southern California coast. It has no containment.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
