Sandy Fire prompts evacuation orders in Southern California
The Sandy Fire broke out Monday morning in Ventura County, California, burning nearly 200 acres and prompting evacuation orders in parts of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.
Sandy Fire forces evacuation of Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley has been evacuated as crews continue to battle the Sandy Fire.
The library was evacuated as a precautionary measure, although a handful of staff members remained on-site. By Monday morning, the fire had spread to more than 184 acres.
The Ventura County Fire Department stated that crews, water tankers, and helicopters were working to extinguish the blaze.
Simi Valley school district evacuates two elementary schools
The Simi Valley Unified School District evacuated students from two schools amid the fast-moving Sandy Fire.
Students from Crestview Elementary School and Mountain View Elementary School were taken to Simi Valley High School by bus, the district said.
"All children from those campuses who were bused over are safe," a post on the district's Facebook page states. "To be clear, we were not told to evacuate these campuses or any other, but chose to do so and then immediately notified those families."
Gov. Newsom briefed on Sandy Fire as crews deploy air and ground attack
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the Sandy Fire and remains in touch with first responders.
"Residents should continue to follow the direction of emergency personnel as they work to contain this fire," his press office wrote on X.
The Ventura County Fire Department was making water drops using helicopters onto hot spots, while firefighters on the ground provided aggressive structure defense operations, the agency said.
Live Coverage begins here