In brief
Satellite images show the extensive damage caused by two wildfires in California, namely the Sandy Fire and another blaze on Santa Rosa Island. The Sandy Fire ignited near Simi Valley, spreading rapidly over 1,364 acres and leading to the evacuation of over 10,000 homes. Despite ongoing firefighting efforts, no parts of the fire have been contained as of yet. Meanwhile, the fire on Santa Rosa Island has scorched 14,600 acres in a national park, also posing risks to wildlife. California Governor Gavin Newsom has emphasized the seriousness of these incidents as high winds continue to exacerbate the situation.
Satellite images have revealed the scale of two wildfires spreading in southern California.
The Sandy Fire ignited on Monday morning in the city of Simi Valley, north-west of Los Angeles, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Satellite images taken just after noon local time show a large plume of smoke rising into the air just south of the city.
California fire officials said on Tuesday morning that 750 firefighters were being supported by night-flying water dropping helicopters to target hotspots.
The Simi Valley Police Department said it had received a report that an individual hit a rock with a tractor, which sparked the fire.
The fire has since spread across 1,364 acres (550 hectares) and no part of it has been contained, officials said. Data from 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. A further 3,500 homes are under evacuation warnings, extending into neighboring Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said officials don't expect the blaze to spread to the city but warnings have been issued out of an abundance of caution.
The spread of the fire was helped by high winds on Monday morning that eased later in the day, a fire department spokesperson said.
Simi Valley Unified School District officials said classes would be cancelled on all of its campuses on Tuesday.
In addition, a fire on Santa Rosa Island has burned 14,600 acres of the Channel Islands National Park, prompting further fire management efforts.
