The Sandy Fire, which ignited in Simi Valley the morning of May 18, has burned through 2,115 acres and destroyed at least one home. Here’s where the fire stands as of Thursday, May 21.
As of the morning of May 21, the fire sat at 30% containment with about 900 fire personnel continuing to battle the blaze, said Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department.
Fire and weather authorities from in and outside Ventura County continue to monitor the fire as smoke from the blaze continues to affect not just Simi Valley but a large part of Southern California.
Although the fire remains stubborn, an expectation of high humidity raises the potential for fire reduction, Dowd said. Continuing winds also leave the risk for fire to spread.
Thursday’s weather forecast for Simi Valley shows that temperatures will stay warm at about 80 degrees to 84 degrees, with low to medium humidity in the morning and light east-southeast winds, said Devin Black, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.
The humidity is expected to rise by the evening, and the winds are also expected to pick up slightly and shift west-southwest, Black said.
While firefighters continue to work on containment, large swathes of neighborhoods in Simi Valley’s south side remain under evacuation order.
“We’re balancing our desire to get people back in their homes and protect their homes,” Dowd said.
Evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday afternoon for the neighborhoods surrounding Royal High School and Grace Brethren Elementary School, between First Street, Arcane Street and Royal Avenue.
A large residential area between First, Arcane, Fitzgerald Road and Sycamore Drive was downgraded to an evacuation warning.
An area of the Wood Ranch neighborhood just east of the blaze was also downgraded to an evacuation warning, along with sections of the hill just south of the neighborhood.
An area south of East Los Angeles Avenue, surrounding Katherine Elementary School and the Simi Valley train station was upgraded to an evacuation order on Tuesday.
Several schools and neighborhoods remain under evacuation orders, while some parts of Box Canyon are under evacuation warning.
Simi Valley Unified School District announced that all of its campuses will remain closed through the end of the week. The closure also includes all after-school programs and activities, according to a district social media post.
Six SVUSD campuses — Mountain View Elementary, Crestview Elementary, Hollow Hills Elementary, Katherine Elementary, Hillside Middle School and Royal High School — are currently in the evacuation zone.
All schools will also remain closed Monday, May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday.
Superintendent Hani Youssef wrote in the post that, at this time, he expects schools to reopen on Tuesday, May 26, but that staff will communicate with families by Monday, May 25, to confirm.
As firefighters continue to battle the Sandy Fire, progress is also being made on another fire in the Channel Islands.
The Santa Rosa Island Fire sits at 44% containment and 17,554 acres burned as of May 21, just six days after it first sprouted, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
Reporters Cheri Carlson and Makena Huey also contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Sandy Fire Thursday updates: Size, containment, evacuations, closures
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Cheri Carlson and Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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