A wind-driven brush fire forced thousands of residents to flee their homes in Simi Valley, in Ventura County north-west of Los Angeles, after igniting on Monday morning and spreading rapidly through dry terrain.
The blaze, named the Sandy Fire, broke out near Sequoia and Sandy avenues at about 10:17 a.m. Investigators said it appeared to have started when an individual struck a rock with a tractor near a residential block on Rudolph Drive, throwing sparks into parched vegetation.
By Monday evening the fire had burned about 1,386 acres, making it the third-largest wildfire in California so far this season. Strong winds pushed the flames toward neighbourhoods and damaged a number of structures.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation orders affecting more than 13,000 residents, with a further 8,000 placed under evacuation warnings. An evacuation point was opened at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, and a shelter for large animals was set up at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
More than 750 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, supported by aircraft. Officials said lighter winds were expected on Tuesday, conditions that would give crews a better chance of building containment lines.
The Simi Valley Unified School District cancelled classes and after-school programmes at all of its campuses for Tuesday, noting that at least seven schools sat within the evacuation zones.
California has entered another difficult fire season after a dry winter left brush and grassland primed to burn. The Sandy Fire is the latest in a series of wind-fanned blazes that have tested emergency services across the southern part of the state.