A sudden plume of smoke and a jarring detonation near Simi Dog Park on Saturday sent nearby residents and passing drivers scrambling for answers, with some convinced a plane had gone down. Video of the blast and rising smoke spread quickly across social platforms, drawing pointed questions from people who had heard or seen the incident. By that evening, the face of the Jackass franchise had chimed in on one of the clips to say the chaos was all part of a movie shoot.
Johnny Knoxville replied to one of the posts, writing that "apparently people thought a plane had crashed," and confirmed the explosion was part of the final day of filming for Jackass: Best and Last, according to KTLA. The outlet reports the clip was posted by an Instagram user identified as @joeknowsventura and showed smoke rising near Simi Dog Park. A Ventura County Fire Station 46 spokesperson told the station that effects like these are common near the Big Sky Movie Ranch, and initial coverage did not confirm whether anyone called 911.
Filming Site And Safety
Big Sky Movie Ranch, a longtime filming location in the hills north of Simi Valley, regularly hosts effects-heavy shoots and western-style sets, according to Film Simi Valley. The property’s isolation can make controlled detonations look especially dramatic from neighborhoods several miles away, and crews typically coordinate with county fire and law enforcement before staging pyrotechnics. Even so, residents said the sudden smoke and loud bang felt alarming in the moment, only learning afterward that the spectacle had been planned.
Movie Details And Release Date
Jackass: Best and Last is scheduled to hit theaters on June 26, 2026, according to Variety. Knoxville announced the project earlier this year and described the Simi Valley workday as the film’s final day of shooting, though producers have not shared specifics about the sequence beyond saying it involved staged effects. For now, there are no confirmed reports of injuries tied to the detonation, and officials have not said whether any emergency calls were placed.
