Uncontrolled California wildfires seen from space

Some 750 firefighters are tackling the uncontrolled blazes supported by water-dropping helicopters. Sandy Fire: California wildfires in Simi Valley and Santa Rosa Island seen from space Crews battle blaze as thousands evacuated near Los Angeles Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A firefighter with an axe stands in front of burning scrub in southern California Uncontrolled California wildfires seen from space 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 (20:00 BST) on Monday 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. A satellite image showing smoke rising from a fire south of Simi Valley The Simi Valley Police Department said it had received a report that an individual "hit a rock with a tractor", which sparked the fire, according to the BBC's US news partner CBS. The fire had 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. Hotspots detected by Nasa's Fire Information for Resource Management System over the last 24 hours A map showing hotspots detected by Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Management System over the last 24 hours 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 neighbouring 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". Watch: Crews battle blaze as thousands evacuated near Los Angeles Left, a helicopter drops water over the fire. Right, a house ablaze. 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. 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 US National Park Service. The fire was first reported on Friday, but by Monday evening, California fire officials said they had so far not got any part of the fire contained. At least 70 firefighters and park rangers have been battling the blaze. The US Coast Guard said a 67-year-old man was rescued from the island's shore, according to CBS. Santa Rosa Island is one of five Channel Islands situated off the southern coast of California. The island is almost uninhabited but experts say it has a unique ecosystem of animal and plant life. Nasa's satellite-based wildfire monitoring platform shows the fire has moved north-east over the weekend and now appears to be spreading inland. A map showing hotspots detected by Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Management System on 16, 17, 18 and 19 May Authorities say the teenage suspects shared a "broad hatred" of multiple religions and racial groups. Security guard Amin Abdullah, one of three killed in the attack, was described as "a shining light". Juan Orlando Hernández was controversially pardoned by Trump in December while serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US for drug trafficking. The Sandy Fire ignited in the city of Simi Valley and spread across 1,364 acres (550 hectares) with minimal containment as of Tuesday, officials said. The alleged attackers were aged 17 and 18 and one left a note containing "generalised hate rhetoric", investigators say. The drug counsellor was one of five people accused of supplying ketamine to Perry and exploiting his drug addiction. Eileen Wang could face up to 10 years in prison following the Department of Justice allegations. The blaze had spread more than 7,000 acres and was only 40% contained by Monday night, authorities said.