Southern California is once again battling fast-moving wildfires as dangerous winds continue pushing flames toward densely populated communities, celebrity enclaves, and thousands of homes across Ventura and Riverside counties.
The largest blaze, known as the Sandy Fire, erupted Monday morning near Sandy Avenue in Simi Valley and quickly exploded through dry brush under gusty conditions. By Wednesday, the fire had scorched nearly 1,700 acres and was only 15% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Evacuation alerts now cover multiple neighborhoods throughout Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 residents northwest of Los Angeles. Officials warned the flames could continue advancing toward nearby communities, including the wealthy gated enclave of Hidden Hills, which was placed under an evacuation warning Wednesday morning.
Hidden Hills is home to several members of the Kardashian family, including Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Kylie Jenner, who only recently moved into her sprawling Hidden Hills estate earlier this year after purchasing the property six years ago.
Kris Jenner’s longtime “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” mansion — the famous six-bedroom home featured heavily throughout the reality series — also sits in the area. Jenner recently listed the property for sale after originally purchasing it with Caitlyn Jenner in 2010.
The fire has drawn more than 800 firefighters into the region as crews wage an around-the-clock battle from both the ground and the air to prevent flames from reaching residential neighborhoods.
Overnight cooling temperatures provided some relief, allowing firefighters to make significant progress slowing the blaze. But officials cautioned that shifting winds remain unpredictable and already triggered at least one dangerous spot fire that forced Ventura County crews to deploy more than 100 additional firefighters.
“We’ve made a lot of progress against this fire with those improved weather conditions,” Cal Fire spokesperson Andrew Dowd said Wednesday.
Still, authorities warned that conditions can change rapidly.
Cal Fire said some areas remain under an “immediate threat to life” warning as crews continue targeting hotspots along the fire’s southeastern flank to prevent flare-ups.
The wildfire threat now stretches beyond Ventura County.
In Riverside County, two separate fires — the Bain Fire and the Verona Fire — have burned more than 1,700 acres combined and forced roughly 7,200 evacuations. Four people have reportedly been injured.
The Bain Fire, which broke out Tuesday morning, has burned more than 1,300 acres and was 25% contained as firefighters continued aerial and ground operations overnight. Meanwhile, the Verona Fire has scorched another 439 acres.
Another brush fire erupted Tuesday near the Santa Ana River bottom in Jurupa Valley, spreading toward nearby homes.
The growing emergency has touched some of Southern California’s most recognizable communities.
Simi Valley itself is home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where President Ronald Reagan and former First Lady Nancy Reagan are buried. The city also has deep ties to Hollywood, including actress Shailene Woodley, who grew up nearby, and “Station 19” actress Danielle Savre, whose family still owns a home in the area.
Musician Bret Michaels, frontman of Poison, shared footage from his Simi Valley home showing smoke rising behind his property.
“To all our Southern California friends & fans in the path of this current fire, please stay safe,” Michaels wrote on Instagram. “We are thinking of you & grateful for our awesome firefighters!”
Officials also warned that flames could threaten Thousand Oaks, another affluent area home to celebrities including Britney Spears, Jamie Foxx, Heather Locklear, and Tom Selleck.
Meanwhile, a completely separate wildfire continues raging on Santa Rosa Island off the Southern California coast.
That blaze has already burned nearly 17,000 acres — roughly 23 square miles — while destroying a cabin and equipment shed and forcing the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees. Officials said the fire was about 26% contained Wednesday.
Investigators are now examining whether the island fire may somehow be connected to a stranded sailor rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after his sailboat crashed into rocks near Santa Rosa Island.
According to the Coast Guard, the 67-year-old mariner survived overnight on the island while a fire had also been reported nearby. Rescue crews later hoisted him to safety and transported him to medical personnel at Camarillo Airport.
“The outbreak of the fire is under investigation,” the Coast Guard stated.
