Inferno! Sandy Fire threatens thousands of homes in Ventura County

KCLU | By Lance Orozco

Published October 17, 2026 at 12:56 PM PDT

Firefighting efforts on the Sandy Fire include both ground and aerial support. Here, a helicopter drops fire retardant on May 18, 2026.

KCLU provided key on-scene live coverage of the critical first two days of the fire.

KCLU provided live, on scene coverage of a wildfire which threatened tens of thousands of homes in Ventura County. Our first priority was getting information out to listeners.

I provided coverage from the field, while our anchors filed in the blanks on evacuations. We aired more than 30 live reports during a two day period, until the danger to the community eased. We were on the front lines with firefighters, even getting hit with a water drop at one point.

Smoke from the Sandy Fire billows from a rugged hillside near Simi Valley on May 18, 2026.

Lance Orozco

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.

See stories by Lance Orozco