By LAURA AUSTIN News Review Staff Writer –
Kern County’s Borel fire, a significant contributor to the massive amounts of smoke entering the Indian Wells Valley (IWV), continues to rage with 17% containment. On Friday night, July 26, the fire swept through the historic town of Havilah, and though the Kern County Fire Department could not confirm this, multiple media outlets are reporting that the fire leveled the historic mining town.
Officials said the fire ignited Wednesday, July 24, in the Kern River canyon when a car crash, which claimed the life of a man, sparked the blaze. The fire spread rapidly as it was met with strong winds.
The fire swept through Havilah and ravaged nearly the entire town, appearing to spare only a few buildings.
At present, multiple resources on the scene are hoping to prevent the loss of another historic landmark after Havilah was lost, the 160-year-old historic Rankin Ranch.
Rankin Ranch, founded by Walker Rankin in 1863, is in the direct path of fire.
Today, the fourth, fifth, and sixth-generation Rankins refuse to leave. They plan to stay and fight to save the ranch. The Rankins hope to continue operating their historic 31,000-acre cattle ranch.
Currently, livestock emergency evacuation and other preparations are underway at the Ranch. According to CalFire officials, dozers could be the answer. Dozers can remove vegetation to bare, minimal soil and remove the fuel from in front of the fire. This line could be used to contain the south end of the fire.
Wednesday, July 31, the Borel fire had been mapped at 57,306 acres.
In four days, the Borel Fire burned 53,010 acres across Kern County, causing over $2.5 million in damages. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CalFire, 0% of the fire was contained. As of July 27, the northernmost edge of the fire remained south of the Clear Creek subdivision. The fire was spreading southward toward Walker Basin and southeastward toward Thompson Canyon. CalFire says the fire behavior is expected to be, once again, very extreme under long-term red-flag-warning weather conditions.
About 2,300 residents have been evacuated from the surrounding area.
Volunteers from the IWV went to Rankin Ranch to help drive the cattle from the fire-engaged area to another ranch in the valley to safer pasture land.
