Overview
Cotality Hazard HQ Command Central is actively monitoring the Sandy Fire, a fast-moving brush fire currently burning in Ventura County, California. The fire started at 10:50 a.m. on Monday, May 18, 2026, off Sandy Avenue in Simi Valley, a city located about 37 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
As of early Tuesday, public incident updates listed the fire at about 1,386 acres with no containment. Officials assigned more than 750 firefighters to the incident as crews work to protect structures and build containment lines.
Weather conditions contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. Fire officials and local reporting attributed the fire’s growth to terrain-driven winds, low humidity, and dry brush.
Morning gusts topped 30 mph, and National Weather Service advisories called for northeast winds with gusts of 40 to 50 mph in nearby mountain areas, including the Santa Susana Mountains. Winds eased later Monday, but officials continued to warn of dangerous fire conditions. Another round of weaker Santa Ana winds are expected Tuesday, with conditions forecast to ease afterward.
Impacts
The fire has affected residents, roads, schools, and property across the area. Ventura County officials issued evacuation orders for multiple zones, including parts of Simi Valley, Santa Susana, Bell Canyon, Cheseboro, Burro Flats, and Meier Canyon, while Box Canyon zones remained under evacuation warning. Los Angeles-area agencies issued evacuation warnings for adjacent zones near the county line, including Chatsworth-related areas.
Officials placed more than 28,600 people under evacuation orders early Monday afternoon, though later public updates listed a lower active evacuation population as some zones changed status. Authorities later lifted evacuation warnings that had extended into northern Thousand Oaks.
Cotality data indicates that there are over 240,000 homes with moderate or greater risk to wildfire damage in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. Cotality will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when available.
