Fire season has officially hit the Los Angeles area with three fires popping up in the last couple of days.
The biggest one is the Sandy Fire which originated outside the city of Simi Valley which is northwest of downtown LA. The fire has forced 43,000 people to evacuate.
The Simi Valley Police Department said it received a report that a person 'hit a rock with a tractor,' which sparked the fire, according to the BBC's US news partner CBS.
The fire rose to about 180 acres in just 30 minutes, and then skyrocketed to more than 700 acres by the early afternoon. By evening, the fire had spread to 1,364 acres, with 0 percent of it contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
'This is the largest blaze we have had this fire year,' said Andy VanSciver a public information officer with the Ventura County Fire Department. 'We are now in a year-round season. And we are transitioning into peak fire season.'
'More than 750 firefighters are responding,' according to Cal Fire andThe Washington Post.Also, 'Helicopters were dropping water on hot spots overnight.'
By Tuesday night the fire had burned nearly 1,700 acres and it had only been 5 percent contained.
'We've got a good fire break here, so we're not leaving,' he told KTLA's Chris Wolfe. 'We're hoping for the best. It is a little scary, but the wind is going the other direction. So, we're going to wait it out. We've got the cars packed and ready to go.'
Chris Martinez told KTLA that even though they are under evacuation orders, they plan to stay and see if the fire gets worse and, if so, they will be ready to go.
'We have our bags ready and we'll be ready to go if needed,' he explained. 'I want to thank all the firefighters. They are truly one of our greatest heroes.'
Source: International Business Times UK
