Sandy Fire in Simi Valley: Thousands remain under evac orders as blaze now 22% contained

As the Sandy Fire continues to burn for the third straight day, firefighters appear to be making progress, boosting containment to 15%.

As the Sandy Fire continues to burn for the third straight day, firefighters appear to be making progress, boosting containment to 15%.

"We have 869 firefighters from agencies all across California assisting in this firefight," said Ventura County Fire Public Information Officer Andrew Dowd. "Throughout the night, we did see some active spotting of fire across in different locations, and the fire continues to push to the east. We were able to put adequate resources in place to both attack the fire directly and provide structured defense."

Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft conducted water drops overnight as crews worked to slow the fire's spread and protect additional neighborhoods. Though damage assessments were still underway, crews continued to address hot spots across rugged terrain.

"At this point, we can still confirm that there's one resident's home that has been destroyed by the fire," said Dowd. "We don't have the confirmation of any additional damaged homes, but we have teams out there assessing that right now."

Fire officials said calmer winds Tuesday helped firefighting efforts. Dowd said there are 4,300 residents under evacuation orders.

Meantime, the Simi Valley Unified School District canceled classes for a second consecutive day.

The Sandy Fire continues to burn in Simi Valley, but crews have increased containment to 15%. Nearly 1,700 acres have burned.

Video from overnight shows flames coming down the hill above a neighborhood as the wind pushed the fire into new areas.

Crews conducted water drops through the night as they try to gain control.

A smoke advisory has been issued for the city of Los Angeles due to multiple wildfires burning in the region, including the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The Los Angeles Department of Public Health is urging everyone in areas where they can smell smoke to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure.

The Southern California Wildfire Response Fire Department is distributing N95 masks at the Red Cross located at the Rancho Simi Rec Center until 11 p.m. Tuesday. Residents are heavily encouraged to stop by and claim a mask.

The Rancho Simi Rec Center is located at 5005 E Los Angeles Ave. in Simi Valley.

An Air Quality Advisory has been issued and will be in effect until at least 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the South Coast AQMD.

Students in the Simi Valley Unified School District will miss school again on Wednesday as the 1,698-acre Sandy Fire continues to burn.

Simi Valley USD issued a statement, writing, "Out of an abundance of caution and with the knowledge that so many of our families and staff are directly impacted by the Sandy Fire, ALL Simi Valley Unified School District schools and campuses will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20, for most staff and all students."

Only key leadership will be asked to report to work, the district said.

The closure includes all after-school programs that are on Simi Valley USD campuses.

The district said it will continue to monitor the Sandy Fire and will communicate with staff and families again on Wednesday about whether or not schools will reopen on Thursday.

In the latest update, the Ventura County Fire Department said 43,702 residents are under evacuation orders, and 399 residents are under evacuation warnings. A total of 869 firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze.