Simi Valley’s May Sandy Fire Updates Confirmed No Fire Entered Santa Susana Field Lab

SANTA SUSANA, Ventura County — During the May 2026 Sandy Fire, the City of Simi Valley issued public updates addressing smoke, evacuations and concerns about the Santa Susana Field Laboratory property.

An official city report states that no fire crossed into the laboratory site. Incident officials proactively deployed monitoring equipment to provide background air-quality information as firefighters responded to the incident. The city also reported school closures and temporary support arrangements for affected people and animals during the emergency.

Those details refer specifically to the May 2026 fire. They should not be mistaken for an active evacuation notice, and the fact that flames did not enter the lab does not resolve the laboratory’s ongoing environmental cleanup obligations. Residents should consult DTSC for site contamination information rather than infer it from fire-boundary maps alone.

What residents should know

People in unincorporated Santa Susana should keep county emergency alerts enabled and follow current evacuation orders during future incidents. The city’s incident report provides a useful public record of the spring response and the official air-monitoring approach.

Official source: Ventura County, Simi Valley or California state agency.

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