Cedar Fire causes evacuations west of Kernville, California

In five days the fire has burned over 14,000 acres.

Cedar Fire

Above: Cedar Fire at 7:40 p.m. PDT August 17, 2016. InciWeb photo.

Mandatory evacuations are in effect in Tulare and Kern Counties northwest of Lake Isabella, California for the Cedar Fire, 32 air miles northeast of Bakersfield and 4 miles west of Kernville.

Since it started August 16 it has burned 14,543 acres according to California Interagency Incident Management Team 5. (UPDATE October 5, 2016: eventually the fire burned 29,322 acres.)

Map of the Cedar Fire
Map of the Cedar Fire at 9 p.m. PDT August 19, 2016. Click to enlarge.

As you can see in the map above, two other large fires occurred in the area in 2014, the Shirley and Way Fires, that burned approximately 2,600 and 4,000 acres respectively. And of course there was also the Erskine Fire in June that blackened about 45,000 acres south of Isabella Lake.

The incident management team provided this information Saturday morning:

No structures have been damaged or destroyed. Firefighters finished wrapping the Tobias Peak and Baker Point Lookouts yesterday, and they remain intact. The significant smoke column that was visible yesterday from nearby communities was generated as the fire burned in the bowl south of Sunday peak on the southwest side. Crews have successfully kept the fire from advancing further south of Highway 155. They continue to brush along the road and mop up along the fireline.

Last night, the fire was active, but less so than the night before. For example, it was primarily backing downslope toward Highway 155 and the community of Panorama Heights. Crews monitored the fire though the night, and on the southeast side they were able to install hose along existing fireline.

One of today’s priorities is to work on perimeter control and hold the fire behind established firelines. Dozer operators will construct more line, and crews with hand tools will fine tune and connect those lines. They will be assisted by aircraft, which are available to water and retardant drops and reconnaissance and mapping flights. Another priority remains the protection of immediately threatened communities.

3-D Map of the Cedar Fire
3-D Map of the Cedar Fire at 9 p.m. PDT August 19, 2016. Looking northwest. Click to enlarge.

Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. Please read the commenting rules before you post a comment.

Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

2 thoughts on “Cedar Fire causes evacuations west of Kernville, California”

    1. Mick – what do you mean by “having an influence” on the fire? Seems like everything in the natural world has “an influence” on things around them. Fire is no exception.

      0
      0

Comments are closed.