Thousands evacuated as California fire threatens homes

Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate as a wind-driven wildfire threatens suburban homes in Southern California.

The Sandy Fire was reported Monday morning in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

By the afternoon, more than 200 acres of dry brush had been consumed and at least one home had been damaged, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Fire department spokesman Scott Dettorre said the flames were sparked by morning winds that exceeded 30 mph, but subsided later in the day.

“As the sun sets, the winds will die down,” Dettorre said.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for many neighborhoods in Simi Valley, with a population of more than 125 thousand, which were covered in smoke due to helicopters dropping water.

Dettorre did not know exactly how many people were ordered to leave.

It was stated that the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, located on a hillside a few kilometers away, was closed throughout the day due to the fire.

The reason is being investigated.

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a 25-square-mile blaze on Santa Rosa Island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.

The fire destroyed a cabin and an equipment shed and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees.