SIMI VALLEY - Lighter winds and cooler temperatures allowed firefighters to clamp down on the growth of a fire in Simi Valley that forced tens of thousands of residents out of their homes, firefighting officials said.

As crews made progress against the Sandy fire after sunset Monday evening, authorities began to lift evacuation warnings in some areas.

Four areas that were under evacuation warnings to the fire’s north and west saw those warnings lifted after 9 p.m. Monday, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Emergency Service’s website.

Several other neighborhoods in the area remained threatened and under evacuation orders after sunrise, however.
“We don’t want to get complacent,” Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department said. “This is the time to dig in ... for if and when that fire behavior does increase.”

The Sandy fire in Ventura County began just before 11 a.m. Monday off Sandy Avenue and raced toward nearby homes within minutes, destroying one. It has burned across 1,386 acres.

As the smoke and flames spread when the fire broke out, authorities began to issue evacuation warnings ahead of its path on Monday. At one point, some 28,000 people were under an evacuation order, officials said.

Story Date: May 20, 2026