The Sandy fire in Ventura County grew to 15% containment overnight, officials said, as crews continued battling the blaze that began Monday near Sandy Avenue and had burned 1,698 acres by Wednesday morning. About 43,000 residents remained under evacuation orde
By early Wednesday, the Sandy fire that had already emptied neighborhoods in Simi Valley had inched forward to 15% containment overnight—but that number didn’t make the smoke any easier to breathe for the tens of thousands still under evacuation orders.
The blaze began around 11 a.m. Monday off Sandy Avenue and moved toward nearby homes, destroying one, according to Cal Fire. By Wednesday morning, it had burned across 1,698 acres. Overnight, fire activity continued around the eastern edge of the fire, and spotting was reported near Sequoia Avenue.
Crews were still working to contain the fire on Wednesday, even as the forecast held steady. Andrew Dowd, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, said the weather patterns were expected to stay the same. Eastern winds were expected to shift west in the afternoon.
For residents, the most immediate figure remained the evacuation count. Around 43,000 residents were still under evacuation orders.
Dowd described a sustained, hands-on effort alongside Cal Fire, Los Angeles City Fire and Los Angeles County Fire. “We’re here with Cal Fire, L.A. City and L.A. County Fire,” he said. “We have water in helicopters. dozers. and engines and we are giving this fire an aggressive fire tap with everything we got.”.
Fire behavior was closely tied to the kind of night that can make containment feel like a race. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis said winds were pretty light for the most part overnight. with lower elevations seeing winds under 5 mph. Offshore winds were expected to continue Wednesday from the northeast. with gusts around 12 mph carrying through the morning and into the weekend.
Dryness also mattered. Relative humidity around the fire hovered between 15% and 25% overnight, but Lewis said it was expected to improve Wednesday afternoon, rising to around 60% to 70%.
As crews pushed forward, the area around the fire remained difficult to navigate. The following road closures were in effect Wednesday: Bell Canyon Road in both directions from Overland Drive; Katherine Road at the railroad tracks; Clear Springs Road from Santa Susana Pass Road to Katherine Road; Oak Knolls Road at Southern Oaks Avenue; Crinklaw Lane; Santa Susana Pass Road at railroad tracks; and Santa Susana Pass Road at Box Canyon Road.
An evacuation warning in Ventura County was also in effect near Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills and Lake Manor.
While the Sandy fire continued to test resources in Ventura County, containment also inched up on other Southern California fires by Wednesday morning.
The Verona fire in Riverside County had burned 500 acres and was 5% contained. The Bain fire in Riverside County had burned 1,375 acres and was 10% contained. On Santa Rosa Island, the Santa Rosa Island fire had burned 17,000 acres and was 26% contained after starting on Friday by a flare.
Sandy fire Simi Valley Cal Fire evacuation orders containment Ventura County Fire Department Sequoia Avenue Bryan Lewis National Weather Service Riverside County fires Verona fire Bain fire Santa Rosa Island fire
15% containment sounds like nothing like… is that good or bad?
So it burned 1,698 acres but “containment” went up overnight. Honestly idk how they measure that if people are still evacuated. Smoke’s still terrible where I am.
Wait did they say it started near Sandy Avenue off of Monday at like 11am? That’s my cousin’s area… I’m worried the shift in winds means it’ll just jump like instantly. Also “water in helicopters” doesn’t even help if it’s already over neighborhoods right?
I saw online somewhere the fire was caused by downed power lines, but this article makes it sound like just weather patterns and winds. Either way, why are they still letting people be under evacuation orders like 43,000?? Seems like the containment number should mean people go home.