California officials say 13 wildfires are burning across multiple counties as evacuation orders tied to an “immediate threat to life” expand with little notice. Some fires remain barely contained, shelters are under pressure, and smoke is spreading even outsid
By the time the sirens go off and the road signs switch, the most dangerous part can already be underway—wind-whipped fire moving faster than families can pack up.
Across California, residents in multiple regions are being urged to stay alert as fast-moving wildfires force widespread evacuations. Thousands have already been displaced. and conditions on the ground are changing rapidly as fire crews race to protect homes and lives. Evacuation orders can be issued or expanded with little notice. leaving people to leave quickly as roads close and conditions deteriorate. Even outside evacuation zones, smoke continues to spread, raising health risks and complicating travel.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. CAL FIRE. says 13 wildfires have been reported. though two are now 100 percent contained. The impacted counties include Santa Barbara County. Kern County. Simi Valley in Ventura County. two fires in Riverside County. Campo Reservation in San Diego County. Green Acres and the Homeland area in Riverside County. Merced County near San Luis Reservoir. Imperial County near Holtville. Los Angeles County. the Montague area in Siskiyou County. and additional fires tied to the areas listed below.
CAL FIRE describes the evacuation orders as a “lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.”
If you’re under an evacuation order, officials say go immediately. Delaying is one of the biggest risks in wind-driven fires. People are directed to use county-designated shelters when available. The Sandy Fire page for Ventura County lists an overnight shelter location. and the Bain Fire page lists shelter sites in Riverside County. If a shelter isn’t reachable. residents are urged to head to a location outside the evacuation zone and away from smoke.
Planning is also about what can slow someone down when every minute matters: IDs. cash or bank cards. phone chargers. and keys. Any medications and prescriptions. N95/KN95 masks for smoke inhalation protection, along with a basic first aid kit. And pet supplies, including a leash, food, and any medication.
Before leaving—if there is time—CAL FIRE recommends following official road-closure information at all times, closing all windows and doors, and turning off the gas.
At the time of publishing, evacuation orders warning of an “immediate threat to life” have been issued to the following fires in the following counties: Sandy Fire in Ventura County; Bain and Verona Fires in Riverside County; Tusil Fire in San Diego County; and Foothill Fire in Santa Barbara County.
Where each wildfire stands reflects how uneven the threat can be—from fires already contained to others still spreading at a dangerous pace.
Santa Rosa Island Fire in Santa Barbara County is reported at 16,942 acres burned, with the fire starting Friday, May 15. Its south side is between Ford Point and South Point. The latest update says it is only 26 percent contained. CAL FIRE says the island is generally considered to be uninhabited, with no permanent residents.
River Fire in Kern County is at State Route 178, east of Bakersfield. It has burned 3,535 acres. CAL FIRE says the cause remains under investigation. The latest update. dated May 19. says the fire is only 15 percent contained—up 5 percent from the previous day—despite “wind-driven” active fire behavior and “difficult access due to the remote location.”.
Sandy Fire in Ventura County is off Sandy Avenue in the city of Simi Valley. It started Monday, May 18, and has burned 1,698 acres. CAL FIRE has issued evacuation orders across multiple zones. While no official evacuee count has been provided by the agency. local reporting has described nearly 44. 000 residents evacuated from the Simi Valley area. The most recent CAL FIRE update says the fire is only 5 percent contained. with one structure “destroyed. ” and that firefighters will “continue to fight the fire overnight from the air and the ground.”.
Bain Fire in Riverside County is at Limonite Avenue and Bain Street, on the edge of Jurupa Valley. It has burned 1,375 acres. Evacuation orders were issued across multiple zones. and while CAL FIRE has not confirmed the number of evacuees. more than 24. 000 people have been reported evacuated. The fire is at 10 percent containment, but some evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings. Those warnings are described as indicating a “potential threat to life and/or property. ” and advising those who need additional time to evacuate—and those with pets and livestock—to leave now.
Tusil Fire in San Diego County is at Tusil Road, north of Live Oak Springs in the Campo Reservation. It has burned 1,000 acres. Orders and warnings have been issued. CAL FIRE says “firefighters are making good progress,” but containment remains at 10 percent.
Wood Fire in Kern County, near Tehachapi, is north of Highway 223 and 58, west of Tehachapi. It started Monday, May 18, and has burned 469 acres. While CAL FIRE reported that “steep terrain continues to make access to the fire difficult,” crews have gotten it to 85 percent contained.
Verona Fire in Riverside County is near Verona Road and Juniper Springs Road, in the Green Acres and Homeland area. It has burned 439 acres. The fire started Tuesday, May 19. New orders were issued. and residents in the affected areas were told to “leave immediately” just after midnight on Wednesday. May 20. The latest update says it is still 0 percent contained and “is burning at a moderate to dangerous rate.”.
Foothill Road and Kirschenmann Road in Cuyama are the location for a separate Foothill-area fire tied to Santa Barbara County. That fire has burned 250 acres, started Tuesday, May 19, and has seen orders and warnings issued for specific zones. CAL FIRE reports that evacuation orders and warnings have been updated as the fire “poses an immediate threat to nearby structures. ” with the fire remaining 0 percent contained.
Santa Fire in Merced County is southeast of Highway 152, near Dinosaur Point Road, in the San Luis Reservoir region. It started Tuesday, May 19, and has burned 220 acres. CAL FIRE says it is only 10 percent contained and spread rapidly from 25 acres to 220 through Tuesday.
Whitlock Fire in Imperial County is at Whitlock Road and Graeser Road, near Holtville. It started Tuesday, May 19, has burned 100 acres, and is still 0 percent contained. At the time of publishing, no evacuation orders or warnings had been issued.
Burro Fire in Los Angeles County is near Burro Peak. It started Monday, May 18, and has burned 30 acres. CAL FIRE reports that all evacuation warnings have been lifted and containment is at 70 percent.
Frontier Fire in Siskiyou County is near the intersection of Harry Cash Road and Frontier Drive in Montague. It started Monday, May 18, and has burned 23 acres. CAL FIRE confirmed it is 100 percent contained. and that crews will continue to “strengthen containment lines and closely monitor fire activity.”.
Kirby Fire in Riverside County is at South Kirby Road and Kenworthy Bautista Road, north of Green Acres. It started Tuesday, May 19, and has burned 20 acres. CAL FIRE reports it is 100 percent contained.
The rest of the week could bring more urgency. The National Weather Service says “elevated fire weather” with a “moderate risk of fast-moving fine fuel fires away from the coast” is expected through Wednesday and for the rest of the week due to breezy and dry conditions. Gustier winds are possible in some foothills and Santa Barbara County zones.
For residents, the message coming through in every order and every update is the same: the danger can shift quickly, roads can shut down without warning, and smoke does not stay inside boundaries drawn on maps.
California wildfires evacuation orders CAL FIRE shelters smoke Santa Barbara County Kern County Ventura County Riverside County San Diego County
So they just wait until it’s already dangerous to tell people? That seems wild.
I don’t get how they can expand evacuation orders with “little notice” and act like it’s normal. My cousin in Kern said roads closed like instantly. Also the smoke outside zones is scary, like what are people supposed to do, stay in the house forever?
Sounds like the winds are the real problem, like they can’t predict it so they just order people to run. But why are they blaming wildfire “surging” like it’s random? We’ve had fires every year, shouldn’t this be better planned. Also I saw Simi Valley mentioned so I’m like… is that actually evacuated or just a warning?
13 wildfires is insane. It’s crazy they say only two are 100% contained?? Meanwhile shelters under pressure… I feel like everyone’s just doing the same thing with no plan. And the headline says evacuation orders hit, but it’s like the road signs switch after it’s too late. Smoke spreading even outside zones makes no sense to me.