*Chatsworth*.
Chatsworth residents are under an evacuation warning as the Sandy Fire burns nearly 1,700 acres in Simi Valley with only 5 percent containment. The LAFD told residents to prepare to evacuate.
*Chatsworth*.
The Los Angeles Fire Department told residents to prepare to evacuate should conditions worsen, according to NBC Los Angeles. No injuries have been reported in Chatsworth.
The Sandy Fire started just before 11 a.m. Monday off Sandy Avenue in Simi Valley, according to the Los Angeles Times. It destroyed at least one home within minutes of igniting, the Times reported.
By Tuesday night, the fire had grown to 1,698 acres and was still only 5 percent contained, Cal Fire said. The blaze has forced tens of thousands from their homes, with evacuation orders at one point covering 28,000 people.
An evacuation warning remained in effect Tuesday evening for county-line areas near Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills and the Lake Manor neighborhood, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"While 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 — including strike teams, a hand crew, and helicopters — to assist local crews in firefighting efforts," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Bass added that the city does not expect the wildfire to reach Los Angeles.
Chatsworth residents were told to have their evacuation plans ready, NBC Los Angeles reported. The LAFD pre-positioned resources in the San Fernando Valley on Monday in case the fire grew out of control.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a wildfire smoke advisory through Tuesday evening, NBC Los Angeles reported. The LAFD warned that some areas of the San Fernando Valley could see and smell smoke.
A temporary evacuation point was established at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park at 5005 Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley. A human shelter was set up at Shepherd Church – Family Life Center Building in Porter Ranch, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Police told NBC Los Angeles that someone called authorities to report that he was clearing brush and struck a rock, possibly sparking the fire. The cause remains under investigation.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced his office secured a fire management assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bolster the response, according to the Los Angeles Times. Local, state and tribal agencies can apply for 75 percent reimbursement of eligible fire suppression costs.
The Sandy Fire is the third largest wildfire currently burning in California, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. It is one of several fires across Southern California as the region enters its high fire season.
Simi Valley Unified School District announced all schools would be closed Wednesday due to the fire, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Firefighters faced difficult conditions. Ventura County Fire Department public information officer Andy VanSciver told the Los Angeles Times that winds and terrain posed the biggest challenges, with dry grasses stoking flames and steep slopes helping them spread.
Division chief Nick Cleary with the Ventura County Fire Department said another "dynamic day" was expected Wednesday, as crews worked to keep the fire from spreading into areas including the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and Box, Bell and Woolsey canyons.
This article was generated with AI assistance.