California Fire Expands to 500 Acres
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Authorities have issued evacuation orders due to a brush fire that started Monday morning in Simi Valley, Southern California. The fire, named Sandy, was reported shortly after 10 a.m. and has burned 500 acres so far, according to Andrew Dowd from the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD). Two hundred firefighters are on the scene, receiving support from three air tankers and six helicopters conducting aggressive aerial firefighting operations in coordination with ground crews, the VCFD reported. According to Simi Valley Police Sergeant Richard Morton, 'at 10:17 a.m., a caller reported that they accidentally started a brush fire by striking a rock with their tractor.' The flames are spreading rapidly, as reported by the Ventura County emergency system. Aerial footage from NewsChopper4 showed homes being consumed by the flames. No injuries have been reported so far. Evacuation orders are in place for Zones 32, 33, 34, and 35, with evacuation warnings issued for Zone 31, TOAK-06, and TOAK-07. A temporary evacuation point will open Monday at 12:00 p.m. at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, located at 5005 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley, CA 93063. A large animal shelter is open at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 E Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001. For questions related to evacuations and shelters, call 805-465-6650. The Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) stated that all students are safe and are currently sheltered in schools due to poor air quality. The fire is near Hillside Middle School, Crestview Elementary School, Mountain View Elementary School, and Hollow Hills Elementary School. In a notification to parents, SVUSD reported that schools south of Fitzgerald Road are being evacuated, including students from Crestview Elementary, who are being moved to Simi Valley High School. 'All schools located in an evacuation zone are currently under a 'shelter in place' order. We are in constant contact with the Simi Valley Police Department, the Ventura County Fire Department, and city administration,' SVUSD stated. Meteorologist Alondra Anaya from Telemundo 52 noted that 'the situation is quite serious, as we are not seeing maximum intensity winds, but even with winds blowing at around 10 miles per hour (mph), it will cause the fire to spread much more quickly due to the dry vegetation.' The temperature in the Simi Valley area is 73 degrees, with winds currently at 18 mph and a relative humidity of 15%. This is a developing story.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
