Exact cause still undetermined

Sandy Fire Contained After Nine Days, Investigation Continues

The Sandy Fire was officially contained at 9:59 p.m. on May 27, after burning for nine days and scorching 2,183 acres near Simi Valley, according to Cal Fire.

The wind-driven blaze erupted around 10:45 a.m. on May 18 near Sandy Avenue, the Simi Valley Acorn reported, and quickly spread through rugged hillsides above the city. One home on Trickling Brook Court was destroyed, though officials said no injuries were reported.

Cause Remains Under Investigation

Fire officials are still investigating the exact cause of the blaze, though police received a report that someone striking a rock with a tractor while clearing brush may have ignited the fire, according to ABC7.

"There has been conflicting information on the source of the fire," Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said in the Acorn report. "The cause is under investigation until we have a firm and complete rock-solid case before we announce it."

Simi Valley police told ABC7 that someone called the department just before 10:30 a.m. on May 18, saying they were clearing brush with a tractor when they struck a rock, which then ignited a fire. Police could not confirm if that incident started the Sandy Fire.

Massive Evacuation Response

At the fire's peak, evacuation orders affected almost 44,000 residents, according to the Acorn. Evacuation warnings also stretched into Thousand Oaks and Los Angeles County communities including Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Chatsworth and West Hills.

More than 1,100 firefighters were assigned to the incident during the fire's most active period, aided by bulldozers, hand crews and night-flying helicopters conducting water drops in rugged terrain near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

All evacuation warnings were lifted as the fire reached 90% containment, according to Ventura County Emergency Information.

School District Closure Impacted Families

Schools in the Simi Valley Unified School District were closed for the week of May 18, affecting thousands of students and families. According to CBS Los Angeles, all district campuses remained closed for the remainder of the week after the fire ignited.

The City of Simi Valley announced that schools would remain closed through Memorial Day on May 25, including all after-school programs and activities.

Technology and Coordination Highlighted

Gardner praised the firefighting response, particularly highlighting coordinated nighttime water-dropping operations by three heavy helicopters as "such a cutting-edge advance in technology and ability."

The fire chief also credited residents for preparing defensible space around homes and evacuating quickly when ordered. "We saw how 100-foot clearance and how home hardening works," Gardner said, according to the Acorn.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California secured federal firefighting funds through a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help suppress the fire.

With forward progress of the fire completely stopped, firefighters continued using infrared drone technology to identify underground hotspots and conduct final mop-up operations in the rugged terrain.

Ventura County officials noted that although the fire did not cross into the Santa Susana Field Laboratory area, air quality monitoring was conducted around the fire perimeter due to its proximity to the former Rocketdyne site.