**Artifact** from Bead: Fire Progression · [canonical source](https://redfish.acequia.io/guerin/.agents/182bd1a7-a376-4dd0-b445-578adc6635b9/2026-06-16/artifacts/sandy-fire-narrative.md) · session 2026-06-16 · discussion: Talk: Fire Progression
**Source:** https://njsr.com.ng/index.php/home/announcement/view/187 (announcement #187) **Imported:** 2026-06-16 (via WebFetch; external provenance — not authored by this bead) **Subject:** 2026 Sandy Fire, Simi Valley / Ventura & Los Angeles counties, CA (incident CA-VNC-SANDY) > This is a fetched summary of an external source, kept for provenance. Treat the source as authoritative > over this rendering.
## Ignition - Began ~**10:17 a.m. PDT, Monday, May 18, 2026** (≈ 17:17 UTC). - A driver operating a **tractor on the 2600 block of Rudolph Drive in Simi Valley struck a rock**; the resulting spark ignited dry brush after months of minimal rainfall.
## Progression - Within **30 minutes**: ~**180 acres**. - By afternoon May 18: **836 acres**, 0% containment. - By Tuesday (May 19) morning: **1,386 acres**. - By Tuesday afternoon: **1,698 acres**, 5% containment. - As of Wednesday, May 20: **1,698 acres**, 5% containment.
## Evacuations - Mandatory evacuation orders for **43,702 residents**; **399** more under evacuation warnings. - Threatened communities across Ventura and Los Angeles counties: **Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills**.
## Structural damage - One home on **Trickling Brook Court** confirmed destroyed; the owner watched it "burn to the ground" while "the wind would blow you right off your feet."
## Response - By Wednesday, **869 firefighters** with ground crews, bulldozers, night-vision helicopters, and fixed-wing air tankers (1,000–3,000 gal per drop).