California [US], May 20: More than 17,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Southern California on Tuesday as a wildfire threatened suburban homes.
The wind-driven Sandy Fire was reported on Monday in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.
By Tuesday morning, the fire had consumed more than 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of dry brush and destroyed at least one home, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd said the fire was initially driven by wind gusts exceeding 30 mph (48 km/h), but firefighters were aided by calmer winds overnight.
"We made a lot of progress against this fire as those weather conditions improved," Dowd said, adding that crews hope to make more progress before the winds pick up again.
Evacuation orders and warnings remained in place for several neighborhoods in Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 people.
Source: Emirates News Agency
