The 38,000-acre Borrell Fire in Kern County leveled the historic mining town of Hawera.
“We lost everything – everything is gone,” Hawera resident Sean Raines told The Times on Sunday. “The whole town was burned down. A lot of people, friends I knew – everyone lost everything.
The fire ignited in the Kern River Gorge on Wednesday and spread quickly when it encountered strong winds, officials said. It appeared to only have survived as it cut through Hawera on Friday night, flattening almost the entire town.
A museum in Hawera has been reduced to rubble, leaving only a plaque that reads “Historical Hawera: Kern County’s First County Seat.”
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Standing amid an acrid mixture of smoke and ash, Raines said he and several other residents helped fire crews prevent the Hawera City Hall from burning. But a nearby historical museum has been reduced to rubble, except for a plaque that reads “Historic Hawera: Kern County’s First County Seat.”
This unincorporated community of about 250 people is located in the mountains northeast of Bakersfield.
“Our hearts go out to the public in the Hawera and Piute Meadows areas,” Kern County Fire Department Deputy Chief Dionisio Mitchell said at a news conference Saturday. “We know They lost money yesterday. It’s difficult for them at the moment and we have the team there to assess the situation.
More than 1,200 firefighters continued to battle the blaze Sunday amid high temperatures and bone-dry conditions, but the blaze remained out of control.
Officials could not immediately confirm the number of burned buildings and said assessments were ongoing. Thousands of people in the area remain under evacuation orders as the fire threatens densely populated areas such as Bodfish and Lake Isabella.
“We are on a red flag warning and the fire continues to burn in a very, very intense and erratic manner,” said Capt. Andrew Freeborn of the Kern County Fire Department. “The flames can be seen from miles away. If You’re wondering what the definition of extreme fire behavior is, and we saw that in this fire.
Officials could not immediately confirm the number of burned buildings and said assessments were ongoing.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Havilah was built in the 1860s and is registered as a California Historic Landmark. At the time of its founding, it was an active mining center with bars, dance halls, hotels, shops and other venues, according to the Hawera Museum. The town served as the seat of Kern County from 1866-72, when the government was moved to Bakersfield.
But Hawera was also no stranger to fire, and according to the museum, after several fires in the early 1870s, many residents began leaving the town.
However, officials say the area where the Borrell Fire burned hasn’t seen much wildfire activity since the early 1990s, meaning there’s plenty of unburned vegetation to fuel the flames.
“When you adjust low [relative humidity]Over the last 10 to 12 days, we’ve been dealing with high winds, triple-digit weather, and it all points to a perfect storm,” Mitchell said at a news conference Saturday.
Incident commander Jim Snow added that rescuers faced “steep, unforgiving countryside” and hot, sun-baked slopes.
“The weatherman said it was 100 degrees, but because of the heat from the fire, the heat reflecting off the slopes, and the general air temperature, at any given time you’re going to see temperatures in the high 120s and 130s for those firefighters out there. ,”He said.
Hawila is an unincorporated community of about 250 people in the mountains northeast of Bakersfield.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
On Sunday, Hawera resident Brett Keith returned to find his home destroyed. He dug through the rubble, but the only thing he could find was a small shotgun he had owned since he was seven years old. One of his neighbor’s large bulls was standing in his front yard with some burns.
“I have to call my neighbor to pick up his bull,” he said.
The Borel Fire is being managed along with two other fires in Kern and Tulare counties, collectively known as SQF lightning events. The other fires are the Trout Fire (22,660 acres burned and 25% contained) and the Long Fire (9,204 acres burned and 35% contained).
These are among about two dozen active wildfires in California, including the 350,000-acre Park Fire burning in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties.
“This is going to be a battle that continues for a while,” Mitchell said.
“California is under attack right now everywhere,” he said.
