Fast Moving Wildfire Destroyed Dozens Of Homes In California

The Officials In California estimated as many as 60 buildings were destroyed Thursday evening in Kern County. “It’s one of the most devastating I’ve ever seen,” a fire captain said.

The fire erupted Thursday afternoon, and within hours had destroyed between 50 and 60 homes near Lake Isabella in Kern County.

The blaze charred more than 2,500 acres, according to California fire officials, and was 0% contained Thursday evening.

The blaze was threatening a handful of small communities Thursday evening, according to Bakersfield Now. A hospital had to be evacuated as well, and there were reports of power and cell phone outages in the area, county fire officials said.

Kern County Fire Department Capt. Tyler Townsend told the Associated Press that the damage was “more than I can remember in any fire in the last several years” and that the blaze “burned through several communities” in a matter of four hours.

“I’ve never been in a wildland fire where I’ve seen so many homes burn,” Townsend added. “It’s one of the most devastating I’ve ever seen.”
Images from the scene showed fire engulfing buildings and plumes of smoke rising from the hills.

Lake Isabella, a community near the fire, hit 92 degrees Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. At the same time, relative humidity plunged to just 8%. Winds gusted to 40 mph late Thursday morning, and continued to blow at more than 20 mph through much of the evening.

In addition to hazards posed by the weather, Townsend told the AP that many homes in the area have propane tanks, which were at risk of exploding.