{"id":1940,"date":"2026-05-19T20:42:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/thousands-under-evacuation-orders-in-southern-california-as-wildfire-threatens-homes\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:42:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:42:04","slug":"thousands-under-evacuation-orders-in-southern-california-as-wildfire-threatens-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1940","title":{"rendered":"Thousands under evacuation orders in southern California as wildfire threatens homes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"89f397df-8478-4a91-a347-49e716619089\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Firefighters spray water on a large wildfire with tall flames erupting from vegetation at night\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b95c2a939233aca50848bf1b62a90d7954b6cc9f\/0_0_4200_2800\/master\/4200.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Fire crews conduct a firing operation to control the Sandy fire on 18 May 2026, in Simi Valley, California.<\/span> Photograph: Ethan Swope\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"89f397df-8478-4a91-a347-49e716619089\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Fire crews conduct a firing operation to control the Sandy fire on 18 May 2026, in Simi Valley, California.<\/span> Photograph: Ethan Swope\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Thousands under evacuation orders in southern California as wildfire threatens homes<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the wind-driven fire in the Simi Valley area as at least one home is destroyed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">More than 17,000 people were under evacuation orders in southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">California<\/a> on Tuesday as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/wildfires\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wildfire<\/a> threatened suburban homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The wind-driven Sandy fire was reported Monday in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48km) north-west of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/los-angeles\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">By Tuesday morning, it had consumed more than 2 sq miles of dry brush and destroyed at least one home, according to the Ventura county fire department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The flames were initially pushed by gusts that topped 30 mph (48 km\/h), but firefighters were aided by calmer winds overnight, said department spokesperson Andrew Dowd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of progress against this fire with those improved weather conditions,\u201d Dowd said. Crews hoped to make further progress before winds increased again, he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"63b3e9dd-cabc-4cb9-9ffd-a94c72c0a87b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a person holding a garden hose \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/64c0d182961479828fa6092f576b81db24e15b3b\/0_0_4490_2993\/master\/4490.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.6336302895323\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"63b3e9dd-cabc-4cb9-9ffd-a94c72c0a87b\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A resident uses a garden hose to water his back yard as the Sandy Fire burns in the hills close to a residential area in Simi Valley, California, on 18 May 2026. <\/span> Photograph: Apu Gomes\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">About 750 firefighters had been assigned to the fire by Tuesday, along with helicopters and air tankers, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vcstar.com\/story\/news\/special-reports\/outdoors\/2026\/05\/18\/crews-respond-to-fire-burning-in-simi-valley-area\/90145100007\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ventura County Star<\/a>. The fire has destroyed at least one home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The fire was 5% contained by midday on Tuesday. The cause is under investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Evacuation orders and warnings were still in place for several neighborhoods in Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Los Angeles officials are monitoring the fire, but expected firefighters in Ventura county to halt its progress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhile the Sandy Fire is in Ventura County, the Los Angeles Fire Department continues to closely monitor the situation and has deployed resources on the ground \u2013 including strike teams, a hand crew, and helicopters \u2013 to assist local crews in firefighting efforts,\u201d Los Angeles Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/karen-bass\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Karen Bass<\/a> said in a statement. \u201cAt this time, we do not expect the wildfire to reach the City of Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a 23-sq-mile blaze on Santa Rosa Island, off the southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">California<\/a> coast. The fire destroyed a cabin and an equipment shed and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Santa Rosa, a popular destination for camping and hiking, is home to island foxes, spotted skunks and elephant seals. The island is home to six plants that grow there exclusively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cRare plants are among the remarkable ecological resources that Santa Rosa Island is known for,\u201d Sierra Frisbie, a fire information officer, wrote in an email. \u201cAs part of the incident management team, Resource Advisors are assisting firefighters by providing guidance on how to protect these sensitive areas during operations when possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/california-national-park-fire-santa-rosa-island\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Santa Rosa fire appeared to start<\/a> after a shipwrecked sailor shot off at least two flares in an attempt to catch the attention of passing boats. He was rescued without injury after passing the night on the island, according to the US Coast Guard. The National Park Service says it is still investigating the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-weather\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US weather<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/extreme-weather\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Extreme weather<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-wildfires\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US wildfires<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Thousands%20under%20evacuation%20orders%20in%20southern%20California%20as%20wildfire%20threatens%20homes&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/simi-valley-california-wildfire-evacuation?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Fsimi-valley-california-wildfire-evacuation&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/simi-valley-california-wildfire-evacuation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fire crews conduct a firing operation to control the Sandy fire on 18 May 2026, in Simi Valley,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}