A fast-moving brush fire in Southern California has forced thousands of residents to evacuate after it rapidly spread across suburban communities near Los Angeles on Monday.

The blaze, named the Sandy Fire, broke out late Monday morning in Simi Valley, a city of about 125,000 residents located roughly 40 miles (60 kilometres) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Driven by strong winds of up to 35 mph (56 km/h), the fire had engulfed approximately 1,364 acres (552 hectares) by Monday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

Fire officials confirmed that at least one home was destroyed, although no casualties have been reported so far.

Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Simi Valley and the nearby city of Thousand Oaks, while several northern Los Angeles neighbourhoods were placed under evacuation warnings as a precaution.

Speaking at a press briefing, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said residents under evacuation warnings were not yet required to leave but should remain alert and prepared to evacuate if conditions deteriorate.

“At this time, we do not expect the wildfire to reach the City of Los Angeles,” she said.

Despite a slight reduction in wind intensity by Monday evening, CalFire warned that challenging weather conditions—including warm temperatures, low humidity and terrain-driven winds—continued to hinder containment efforts.

Fire crews remained on the ground overnight as authorities worked to contain the spread and protect nearby communities from further damage.