India, May 19 -- In California, authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations as a giant bush fire, known as the Sandy Fire, raged through large swathes of land in Simi Valley. Growing to more than 700 acres, the blazes raged near the Sandy Avenue with no signs of containment, the Ventura County Fire Department said in a published statement. According to the Simi Valley Police Department, the fire began at around 10:17 am. The officers received a report that an individual "hit a rock with a tractor" near the 2600 block of Rudolph Drive, which sparked the fire.

Sgt. Rick Morton told CBS that people were evacuating homes and properties for safety purposes as the blazes continued to spread. Authorities deployed several water-dropping helic...