30 Homes Evacuated in Simi Valley Fire

Thirty homes were briefly evacuated about 4 a.m. Wednesday when a wind-whipped brush fire burned about 20 acres near Sequoia Avenue and Manorgate Place in Simi Valley, the Ventura County Fire Department reported.

High winds quickly spread the fire, and Simi Valley police evacuated residents from 30 homes on Manorgate and Chelsea Court as a precaution in case the fire moved into the neighborhood south of the fire, Lt. Robert Klamser said. Most residents were asleep, and “officers had to knock on doors and rouse the residents to evacuate them,” Klamser said.

Hillside Junior High School was opened by authorities, and most of the evacuated residents remained there for about an hour until the blaze was contained, Klamser said.

County Fire Department dispatcher Debra Davis said no structures were damaged. She said investigators believe the blaze may have been caused by illegal dumping of trash or material that was either burning or had hot embers in it.