Sandy Fire Races Toward LA County, Scorching 17k Acres And Forcing 44,000 to Evacuate

SIMI VALLEY, CA — The Sandy Fire remained a major threat Wednesday, threatening homes and forcing 44,000 people to evacuate as firefighters turned their focus toward controlling the eastern side of the fire and preventing its spread toward the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

The fire has consumed nearly 1,700 acres of brush.

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The blaze broke out around 10:15 a.m. on Monday in a wilderness area abutting a residential neighborhood in the southeastern part of Simi Valley, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

At least one home was destroyed in the fire, which as of Wednesday morning had scorched 1,698 acres near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line — north of Calabasas and Agoura Hills and west of the San Fernando Valley.

The fire was 15% contained, up from 5% 24 hours earlier.

Some 900 firefighters were assigned to the blaze.

More than 44,000 were under evacuation orders in Ventura County as of Tuesday night. In LA County, residents in parts of Agoura Hills, Calabasas and the far western San Fernando Valley remain under evacuation warnings.

• See Sandy Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Orders

The fire "remained active overnight with uphill runs especially in steep terrain, influenced by wind and topography," Cal Fire officials wrote Wednesday morning.

The fire's northeastern part was particularly active, as it jumped across to the eastern side of a fire road, bringing it closer to Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley.

"This will be our priority No. 1 on the incident today. We have bulldozers, hand crews, aircraft already out working this, securing all this," Ventura County Fire Department's Trevor Johnson said.

Additionally, crews were actively protecting homes in the Brandeis neighborhood, one of the easternmost settlements in Ventura County.

Smoke from the wildfire — and others burning in Southern California — has led to poor air quality across the region, including in parts of LA County many miles away from the fire.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory in effect until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, which could be extended depending on conditions.

Much of LA County was expected to be in the moderate Air Quality Index category or higher. Areas of the county adjacent to the Sandy Fire may reach the unhealthy for sensitive groups category or higher, according to air quality officials.

Officials advised the following precautions:

Limit your exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or seeking alternate shelter.

• Avoid vigorous physical activity.
• Run your air conditioning and/or an air purifier. If possible, do not use swamp coolers or whole house fans that bring in outside air.
• Avoid burning wood in your fireplace or firepit and minimize sources of indoor air pollution such as candles, incense, pan-frying, and grilling.
• If you must be outside, a properly fit N95 or P100 respirator may provide some protection.

City News Service contributed to this report.