California wildfire burns over 1,300 acres, thousands evacuated

A wildfire in the US state of California has scorched more than 1,300 acres (nearly 526 hectares) of land as thousands of people were prompted to evacuate.

The Sandy Fire was ignited on Monday morning in the hills above Simi Valley, located roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, according to a statement shared by California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office.

“More than 1,364 acres have burned, threatening several communities in Simi Valley and forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 homes — putting an additional 3,500 under evacuation warnings,” the statement said.

According to the statement, California obtained a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday to support firefighting efforts.

Evacuation warnings came as the flames moved southeast, the Ventura County Fire Department said on the US social media company X.

Parts of the city of Los Angeles, including portions of West Hills and Chatsworth, were placed under evacuation warnings Monday night, according to NBC News.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on X that firefighting authorities do not expect the blaze to spread to Los Angeles, but officials have issued warnings regardless and “out of an abundance of caution.”

At the same time, crews were working to contain a 14,520-acre (5,876-hectare) wildfire on Santa Rosa Island, located off Southern California’s coast, according to NBC News.

The blaze destroyed a cabin and an equipment storage shed, and prompted the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees.