View of the aftermath of the Erskine fire
Firefighters continue to battle the deadly Erskine fire, which has burned in a random pattern, razing some neighborhoods and leaving others nearby untouched.
Firefighters confronted hot, dry weather and steep rugged terrain Saturday as they continued to battle the deadly Erskine fire, which has grown to more than 46 square miles, killed two people and destroyed 150 homes and other structures.
Raging Erskine fire has burned 150 homes, officials say
Hot temperatures, dry grass and winds of up to 40 mph pushed along the fast-moving blaze, which at one point swept across 11 miles in 13 hours. The National Weather Service in Central California predicts above-normal temperatures and dry conditions will continue this weekend, topping 90 degrees Saturday and reaching 95 degrees Sunday.
Videos show how deadly Erskine fire exploded into inferno
The fire that has burned 100 homes and other structures spread with lightning speed Thursday night, fueled by wind, heat and many dead trees.
Videos taken of the Erskine fire show how it devoured so much land so quickly – nearly 30 square miles in less than 20 hours.
Deadly Kern County wildfire grows to 46 square miles — tough weekend ahead
The blaze’s path has been marked by ruin: charred fields, burned-out cars, exploded propane tanks. The flames leveled homes — save for their brick chimneys — and at least three firefighters have been injured. Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency for Kern County.
Latest video and images from the Erskine fire
Wind advisory for Kern County extended until early Saturday morning
The National Weather Service wind advisory for the Kern County mountains and desert areas has been extended until 5 a.m. Saturday.
Strong and gusty winds are expected in those areas through Saturday night, according to the weather service. Westerly winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph will be possible, it said.
Fire knocks out power for about 3,000 Kern County residents
‘I didn’t expect the fire to move that fast’
Angel Chaparro, of Squirrel Valley, was in the garage of his mother’s house when he saw the sunlight turn orange.
“It was coming in through a crack in the door,” he said. “So we opened it and saw the mountains covered in smoke. Everything was OK before 4 o’clock. But then the fire grew within 10 minutes to over the hills by our house.”
Chaparro lived with his mother, his sister Christina and her five children. He said that by the time Christina came home from work at 4:30 p.m., he was already packing the children’s things.
“I don’t know how we saved the few things we could, like clothes,” he said. “I didn’t expect the fire to move that fast.”
Chaparro said he stayed behind in Squirrel Valley as his mother, sister, nieces and nephews to an evacuation center at a senior center in Lake Isabella on Thursday night.
He said he helped neighbors quickly gather a few of their belongings and then left the valley as soon as possible.
“We passed by a propane tank and heard it explode,” he said. “It sounded like a bomb. And then a big old field in between our home and the hospital was completely on fire.”
All nine family members made it out safely, reuniting at the senior center and later relocating to an evacuation center at Kernville Elementary School.
Chaparro’s mother bought her house about a year ago, Christina Chaparro said.
“She didn’t have fire insurance, though,” she said. “So now, who knows what’ll happen or what we’ll do. We’re just hoping it’s still there.”
— Alexia Fernandez
Erskine fire evacuees tell their stories
The scramble to contain the wildfire drew more than 1,100 firefighters from across California, with hundreds more on the way.
About 2,000 people have been evacuated as firefighters try to defend approximately 1,500 homes. About 800 firefighters are on the scene now, and officials said they hope to eventually have 1,000.
Video shows destruction caused by Erskine fire overnight
Dozens of homes burned Thursday evening in a fast-moving fire that broke out in a rural area of Kern County, the most destructive blaze in a week of brush fires across Southern and Central California.
Map shows areas affected by Kern County fire
Cell service ‘compromised’ in Kern County fire area
Cell service in the area of devastating Erskine fire has been “compromised” because of the flames, said Kern County Fire Department engineer Phil Neufeld
Repair crews from Verizon have been in the area since Thursday night, powering the company’s infrastructure with emergency generators, but they are running out of fuel to run them and backup is hours away, Neufeld said.
Smoke from Erskine fire drifts to Las Vegas
Squirrel Valley resident reunited with grandmother at evacuation center
Chelsea Hunt, a 27-year-old sophomore at Cerrocose Community College, saw the fire reach Kook Peak Mountain and couldn’t believe how close the thick clouds of smoke were to her home.
“It was apocalyptic,” she said. “You just had to get your stuff and run.”
Hunt shared a home with boyfriend, Shawn Kelley, and her grandmother.
During the evacuation from their home in Squirrel Valley, she was separated from her grandmother but found her at an evacuation center at Kernville Elementary School.
“I can’t even remember what I was doing, all I remember is seeing the fire and realizing I needed to run,” Hunt said.
She said she ran, losing all of her possessions, including her Social Security card, birth certificate and schoolbooks. Her grandmother, her boyfriend, her car and her dog, Charlie, along with her pajamas, are all she has left, she said.
“We live in such a dry place,” she said. “But something like this isn’t something you think will ever happen to you. You see it on TV.”
It was her turn to evacuate
It was around 4:30 p.m. Thursday when Nancy Moore, 64, took a five-minute drive to Mountain Mesa to visit friends. When she arrived, her friends told her they were being evacuated because of an approaching wildfire.
Moore told them they could stay at her home in South Lake. Her friends followed her in their car, but 15 minutes after arriving at her house, it was her turn to evacuate.
“I never got the chance to sit down and offer them a soda,” she said, chuckling. “I have never seen anything move so fast like that.”
Moore and her husband, Thomas Moore, luckily already were packed with extra clothes because they were planning to go on vacation. She said she only had to worry about getting her husband’s heart medicine. Moore said she saw the smoke and not the flames when the fire was approaching, adding that wind was very strong.
“It knocked stuff off my porch,” she said. “I had vases full of rocks, plants full of rocks — all of them gone. Tables were tipped over, and there were poles everywhere.
“It was intense,” she added. “I’ve never seen anything move that fast.”
Moore said she didn’t panic. She was too focused to help her husband and two of her friends who are in their 80s and 90s and live five minutes away from them. She was concerned they wouldn’t be able to evacuate because the fire was moving too quickly.
Moore said the chaos of evacuating hit her later when she looked at the mountains that were on fire.
“It was spooky,” she said.
Erskine fire forces closure of Pacific Crest Trail
A post on the Pacific Crest Trail Assn. website says the fire is within six or seven miles of the trail.
Red-flag warning issued for Kern County mountain areas
The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning for the mountain areas of Kern County due to dry vegetation, low humidity, gusty winds and high temperatures.
The weather service issues such warnings to alert government agencies about the onset of weather and moisture conditions that could lead to increases in wildfire activity.
Woman evacuates: ‘You couldn’t see the neighbor’s house next door’
Smoking a cigarette inside her black Jeep, Cher Buys, 63, has been trying to stay hopeful that her home in Weldon is still standing after the massive Kern County fire swept through.
“I have friends checking for me right now,” she said Friday outside an evacuation center at Kernville Elementary School.
She said she was at home in bed when the electricity went out around 7 p.m. She said she walked outside and into a fog of smoke.
“You couldn’t see the neighbor’s house next door,” she said.
She said she saw the flames approaching and decided to get a head start and evacuate.
Erskine fire grows to over 19,000 acres
The Erskine fire, which has destroyed 100 structures and scorched more than 19,000 acres, is bearing down on several other communities in eastern Kern County, according to authorities.
About 2,000 people have been evacuated as firefighters try to defend some 1,500 homes. About 600 firefighters are on the scene now, and officials hope to eventually have 1,000, they said.
Dramatic video shows KTLA news crew narrowly escaping fast-moving flames
Flames from the Erskine fire came within 30 yards of a KTLA news van Thursday night, the station reported.
Just after 11 p.m., a reporter and photographer were packing up their van when flames moved from 100 yards to about 30 yards away, according to photographer Victor Vargas.
“The heat became unbearable,” Vargas said. “The heat was too much that I couldn’t get in the truck through the driver side.”
Vargas climbed in through the passenger door, and they sped away.
View over Lake Isabella from last night and this morning
Chaplain: ‘The community is going to come around you’
Satellite images and projections show size of Erskine fire
Photos show overnight efforts to slow fire