A wildfire in Southern California forced thousands of people to evacuate on the evening of May 18. The Sandy Fire started around 10 am local time in hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Los Angeles. By evening, it had burned more than 1,300 acres and damaged at least one home.
Strong winds gusting up to 30 mph (48 km/h) were pushing the flames, and evacuation orders were issued for 10,000 homes in Simi Valley and nearby communities like Bell Canyon and Santa Susana. Another 3,500 homes were under evacuation warnings.
As the fire spread southeast Monday night, evacuation warnings were issued for parts of Los Angeles, including West Hills and Chatsworth, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Wildfires are a growing threat, and they have the ability to devastate communities and reshape entire ecosystems. While it's difficult to compute the exact number of wildfires that run rampant around the world, experts have determined that more than 865 million acres are burned every year, including croplands, forests, and grasslands.
Globally, wildfires add around five to eight billion tons of CO2 to the atmosphere annually. But why are certain regions more susceptible to such disasters? And how can nighttime make fires even deadlier? Click through this gallery to find out.