KERN RIVER VALLEY, Calif. — While we expect to see acreage for the Borel Fire continue to grow, we're also going to continue to see that containment number increase, which will allow officials to get a better understanding of the damage and assess what's needed to be done.
- Video shows areas of the 178 that have burned by the Borel Fire, as well as parts of Havilah which were decimated by the flames.
- Highway 178 is back open after being closed due to the Borel Fire in order to allow fire crews to come in and out safely, but also due to the proximity.
- While crews were able to keep the blaze from coming down into Bodfish, the area of Havilah was left in ashes.
Highway 178 is back open after being closed due to the Borel Fire in order to allow fire crews to come in and out safely, but also due to the proximity.
The scorch marks left behind by the fire show just how close it was to these roads. However, members of the Forest Service said frankly, anything that could have burned near the roadway has, so there was not much left for the fire to spread, making containment easier.
It's due to these containment efforts that officials felt safe reopening this highway.
“That's going to help so many individuals on their daily lives, all of the individuals that commute in and out with Highway 178,” said Kern County Fire’s Andrew Freeborn, breathing a sigh of relief for this small victory.
Governor Gavin Newsom was able to come and assess the damage in Havilah Tuesday, declaring an emergency proclamation for this complex and allowing even more resources, like the National Guard, to come in.
“So I know how personalized for folks, and that's why I'll be driving up to an old gold mining community. We'll see that devastation firsthand,” Newsom said.
As of Wednesday, the Borel fire has burned over 58,000 acres, but officials announcing that containment is up to 34%.
Making your way down the 178, you'll see the remnants of the Borel Fire leaving the area scorched. There are still some campsites and back roads that are closed off due to damage. Fire crews are still assessing what’s left and helicopters continue to fly overhead refilling on water from the Kern River.
Resources on the 178 are merely skeleton crews at this point though, allowing more efforts to be focused on areas where the fire is still active.
“This area here, though, with Bodfish in here, incredible work over the last day and a half,” Freeborn said. “Having multiple control lines and then contingency lines saying we're going to have crews that it's as much as we can put in here, that's as many people as we can fit here for this control line.”
While crews were able to keep the blaze from coming down into Bodfish, the area of Havilah was left in ashes. What was once a historic mining community filled with trees is now surrounded by mountains covered in ash, empty lots throughout this area, burnt to the ground.
“There's a lot of different numbers out there as it relates to the number of buildings and structures,” Newsom said. “Once that determination is made, it will allow me to go back directly to the President and the White House to seek the federal support, which would avail that direct relief.”
So while we expect to see acreage for the Borel Fire continue to grow, we're also going to continue to see that containment number increase, which will allow officials to get a better understanding of the damage and assess what's needed to be done.
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