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Bakersfield Fire Department issues second alert for Kern River

Posted at 2:41 PM, Jul 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-26 02:25:15-04

The Bakersfield Fire Department issued their second precautionary alert regarding the Kern River.

The department issued the first local and statewide warning last month. Many of the people who have been pulled out of the river were from the Los Angeles area, and BFD is hoping the alert spreads to more parts of California.

BFD has so far conducted more than 30 rescue missions, the majority of them happening on the Kern River.

This has been a record-setting deployment and rescue year for the Bakersfield Fire Department's swift water rescue team.  

The department usually conducts between 5 and 8 rescues in any given year, BFD Chief Doug Greener said.

There have been at least 11 new confirmed deaths for 2017. Three people are still missing and presumed drowned, BFD said.