Satellite Images Reveal Scale of Simi Valley, Santa Rosa Island Wildfires

Satellite images have revealed the scale of two wildfires spreading across Southern California.

The Sandy Fire ignited Monday morning in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Satellite images captured just after noon local time Monday show a large plume of smoke rising south of the city.

California fire officials said Tuesday morning that 750 firefighters were receiving support from “night-flying water dropping helicopters” to target hotspots.

The Simi Valley Police Department reported that an individual “hit a rock with a tractor,” sparking the fire, according to CBS, the BBC’s U.S. news partner.

The fire has since spread across 1,364 acres (550 hectares) with zero containment, officials said.

NASA’s wildfire monitoring platform shows active hotspots moving further south overnight into Tuesday.

More than 10,000 homes have been evacuated from Simi Valley and surrounding communities, Newsom said.

An additional 3,500 homes are under evacuation warnings, extending into neighboring Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said officials do not expect the blaze to reach the city but issued warnings “out of an abundance of caution.”

High winds Monday morning aided the fire’s spread before easing later in the day, a fire department spokesperson said.

The Simi Valley Unified School District canceled classes at all campuses Tuesday.

Around 30 people were killed and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed in fast-spreading fires that broke out in the Los Angeles area in January 2025.

Satellite images also show a fire on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Los Angeles that has burned 14,600 acres (6,000 hectares) of the Channel Islands National Park, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

The fire was first reported Friday, but by Monday evening, California fire officials said they had achieved no containment.

At least 70 firefighters and park rangers have been battling the blaze. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a 67-year-old man from the island’s shore, according to CBS.

Santa Rosa Island is one of five Channel Islands off Southern California’s coast. The island is nearly uninhabited but hosts a unique ecosystem of animal and plant life, experts say.

NASA’s satellite-based wildfire monitoring platform shows the fire moving northeast over the weekend and now appearing to spread inland.