Features

Wind-whipped wildfire destroys five homes 30 miles from Bakersfield

The Associated Press,
Monday June 17, 2002

LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire that destroyed five homes and forced evacuations of 200 people in this community northeast of Bakersfield was at least 50 percent contained Sunday. 

Fanned by erratic winds, the flames exploded Saturday from a few acres to 3,500 acres, fire officials said. 

The fire abated after sundown and residents were allowed to return home Saturday night, said Kern County Fire Department spokesman Chris Cagle. 

Fire officials did not know when to expect full containment. They braced for hot weather, 25 percent humidity and winds up to 15 mph. 

The fire broke out just before 1 p.m. Saturday in dry grass and brush near Highway 178 and Borel Canyon Road. The cause of the fire was under investigation, Cagle said. 

Five homes and four vehicles, along with garages, a travel trailer, mobile home, five sheds, two boats and a barn were destroyed. Campgrounds in popular camping areas of Keysville also were evacuated as the fire moved into that area. 

No other buildings were threatened. 

On Saturday, Kern County sheriff’s deputies enforced mandatory evacuations in parts of Bodfish and Lake Isabella. Residents gathered at the town’s senior center, which was converted into a temporary shelter. 

There were no injuries. 

Air tankers and helicopters, along with 250 firefighters battled the blaze. 

Lake Isabella is a resort community of about 3,500 residents in the southern Sierra Nevada about 30 miles northeast of Bakersfield. 

Elsewhere, firefighters contained a wildfire that blackened more than 1,400 acres of rugged forest in Siskiyou County near the Oregon state line. It was expected to be under control by Monday. 

The fire started when a backyard debris fire got out of control, said Penny Melum, a spokeswoman for the Klamath National Forest. 

The blaze burned about 30 miles south of the Oregon state line.