A brush fire that erupted near Simi Valley Monday morning, May 18, and quickly swelled was held mostly in check overnight, with firefighters seeing minimal fire growth as they continued to work toward containment, officials said.
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The Sandy fire, which has threatened neighborhoods and forced evacuations, was sitting at 1,385 acres as of about 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, Ventura County fire officials said. Officials reported 5% containment had been achieved; containment is the fire’s perimeter not expected to expand because of natural barriers, such as rocks or a water body, or the work of crews.
All Simi Valley Unified School District campuses were closed for all students on Tuesday, officials said.
“This includes all after-school programs and activities,” the department said on its VC Emergency page, which details evacuations.
Officials lifted some evacuation warnings for the western side of Simi Valley and for Thousand Oaks Monday night. All other evacuation orders and warnings remained in place.
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The Ventura County fire broke out near Sandy Avenue just before 11 a.m., fueled by dry conditions and driven by gusty winds.
The fire threatened nearby homes Monday as pilots made repeated water drops in the Bridle Path neighborhood, an equestrian community in the southwestern foothills of the county. The blaze was moving “dangerously fast” by late morning, officials warned.
Firefighters got some respite in the evening, when the winds shifted, bringing in a cooler, more moist ocean breeze.
At least one home was seriously damaged during the firefight on Monday.
ABC 7 reported that police had received a report of a fire in the area possibly being ignited when someone clearing brush with a tractor hit a rock, but authorities had not confirmed that account.
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