The Simi Fire was a devastating 2003 wildfire that burned of land in the

Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, of Southern California, United States. The range runs ma ...

and southeastern

Simi Valley Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. Simi Valley borders Th ...

in eastern

Ventura County Ventura County () is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises ...

and western

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The Simi Fire was one of multiple large, fast-moving, and destructive wildfires in Southern California in October 2003, in a fire siege that included the

Cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

, Old, and

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

fires. The Simi Fire resulted in no fatalities but did cause 21 injuries. The cause of the fire remains unknown. At its peak, the Simi Fire burned up to 10,000 acres an hour. It threatened the major foothill communities of Porter Ranch and Chatsworth after crossing from Ventura County into Los Angeles County. The fire threatened homes near Stevenson Ranch, though it burned none. It also forced the closure of the

Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Coast between the Mexican border and the Canadian border. The segment of I-5 in California r ...

(

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

) for more than 2.5 hours on October 29 as fire crews successfully worked to prevent it from jumping the freeway north of

California State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Los Angeles to the northern Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. Its southern te ...

, near Santa Clarita. By the night of October 30, the Simi Fire was 40% contained. That number jumped to 85% by the night of October 31. The fire was declared 100% contained on November 1 when precipitation moved into the area and aided firefighters. The governor of California

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor ...

declared a state of emergency in Ventura and Los Angeles counties as a result of the Simi Fire and others burning concurrently.

References

{{California wildfires 2003 California wildfires 21st-century history of the United States Air Force October 2003 in the United States November 2003 in the United States Wildfires in Los Angeles County, California Wildfires in Ventura County, California History of Simi Valley, California Chatsworth, Los Angeles West Hills, Los Angeles

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

2003 in Los Angeles County, California

See also

References