A fast moving brush fire currently about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles has prompted evacuations in southern California, including at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, the former president’s foundation confirmed on Monday.
A Ventura County Fire Department helicopter drops water to combat the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley, California.
AFP via Getty Images
The blaze sparked in Ventura County, just west of the San Fernando Valley and northwest of Los Angeles, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
In an update from Ventura County Fire Department on Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. PDT, the fire had expanded to cover about 720 acres, while about 500 firefighters and aircraft were dropping water and “actively defending structures” from the blaze.
Several sections of Simi Valley were evacuated, and more areas including nearby Thousand Oaks were placed under evacuation warnings, according to Ventura County Emergency Management.
The fire has been spreading since at least 11 a.m. PDT, according to helicopter footage from local station KTLA, and photos from the aircraft show it has burned at least one structure.
The same area was placed under wind advisory through 3 p.m. PDT, according to the National Weather Service, with forecasters predicting winds up to 20-30 miles per hour and gusts that could reach up to 50 miles per hour.
The fire, which Cal Fire named the Sandy Fire, was at 0% containment as of Monday afternoon, according to the state agency.
Southern California has faced crippling wildfires in recent years, including the devastating fire that destroyed much of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in January 2025. In an update on social media, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was “closely monitoring” the blaze in Ventura County and deployed Los Angeles Fire Department resources to assist. “While there is no immediate threat to Angelenos, we encourage all residents to stay alert and heed official guidance,” Bass wrote. Anger over Bass’ handling of the Palisades Fire is impacting her reelection campaign. Republican Spencer Pratt, the former reality television star of “The Hills,” is running against Bass. Pratt has frequently attacked Bass over the fire, which he says destroyed his house.
This is not the first fire to impact the Reagan Presidential Library this year. Another brush fire that broke out near the library prompted a brief evacuation on April 26, the Reagan Presidential Foundation said. The fire was put out within 30-45 minutes, according to the organization. The actual structure of the library was not threatened, KTLA reported, and the library and museum chose to self-evacuate.
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