**CLAIM:** *Photos and Videos Are Circulating Online Showing a Massive, Out-of-Control Wildfire in Simi Valley, California, Allegedly Starting After a Gender Reveal Party Gone Wrong. Posts Caption These Images With Claims That “Thousands Are Being Evacuated” and That the Fire Is “Racing Toward the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.”*

CLAIM: Photos and videos are circulating online showing a massive, out-of-control wildfire in Simi Valley, California, allegedly starting after a gender reveal party gone wrong. Posts caption these images with claims that “thousands are being evacuated” and that the fire is “racing toward the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.”

VERDICT: FAKE (with a twist)

The Facts:

1. The Images Are Outdated: The dramatic photos and drone footage being shared widely are real wildfire footage—but not from Simi Valley or from 2024/2025. The same visuals have been traced back to the 2020 Easy Fire (which also threatened the Reagan Library) and the 2018 Woolsey Fire. They are being recycled and incorrectly labeled.
2. No Current Evacuations: Officials confirmed there is no active, uncontained fire in Simi Valley as of this afternoon. There was a small brush fire near the 118 Freeway yesterday, but it was knocked down within an hour by Ventura County Fire. Zero evacuations were issued.
3. The Reagan Library: While the 2020 Easy Fire famously threatened the Library (where Air Force One is housed), the Library is currently safe and open to the public today. The claim of it being “in the path” is false.
4. No Gender Reveal Cause: The fun (and frustrating) twist? A photograph of a charred “gender reveal” sign is being photoshopped into older fire photos. There is zero evidence that any current fire in Simi Valley was caused by one.

Bottom Line: A viral hoax is preying on the region’s traumatic history with wildfires (like the Woolsey Fire) to generate panic. The digital sleuthing reveals this is a remix of old disaster photos with a false new headline. **Do not share the “Simi Valley inferno