| Borel Fire | |
| Location: | Kern County, California |
| Area: | 59392acres |
| Coordinates: | 35.5955°N -118.4816°W |
| Pushpin Map: | USA California |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Refer to caption |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | The general location of the Borel Fire in Northern California |
| Injuries: | 2 |
| Cause: | Fatal car accident |
| Evacuated: | >4,000 |
| Structures: | 223 (29 damaged) |
| Percent Contained: | 91% |
The Borel Fire is a large and destructive wildfire burning south of Lake Isabella in Kern County, California., the fire has burned 59392acres and is 91% contained. The fire was determined to be caused by a fatal car accident which caught fire and spread to the surrounding hillside.[1]
The Borel Fire is the second largest wildfire in California's 2024 wildfire season, only behind the Park Fire in Northern California.
The Lake Isabella area has been known for its explosive and destructive wildfires in recent years and was most notably the location of the deadly 2016 Erskine Fire and 2021 French Fire. However, the area within the direct footprint of the Borel Fire has a very limited burn history aside from the 2010 Canyon Fire that burned 9,820 acres to the north.[2]
The Borel Fire ignited at 1 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 24, after a vehicle careened over the side of the canyon along Highway 178, killing the driver and spreading flames to the nearby vegetation in the Kern River Canyon.[3] [1] Due to the steep, rugged terrain of the area as well as the warm weather conditions, the fire was able to further establish itself up the canyon with a rapid rate of spread, east of Democrat Springs. Access to Highway 178 was subsequently closed to the public. By nightfall, the fire had expanded to 9410NaN0 and had been placed under management of the SQF Lightning Incident that encompassed the nearby lightning-caused Trout and Long fires.[4] Additionally, evacuation warnings were placed for local residents nearby the fireline.
The fire remained active into its second day of Thursday, July 25, as the fireline could be seen making its way across the ridgetops, escaping retardant lines established by air attack the previous day. By the afternoon, a large flare up on the southeast head of the fire sent it back into a rapid rate of spread. This prompted officials to upgrade the previous evacuation warnings for rural communities in the Kern Canyon to evacuation orders as the fire ballooned rapidly.[5] An evacuation center for displaced residents was established in Tehachapi.
As the fire expanded so too did evacutions as a second evacuation center was established in Lake Isabella before being moved to Ridgecrest early Friday, July 26.[6] Early that day, the fire had been pegged at 79510NaN0. Throughout Friday, a Red Flag warning was put into effect as conditions deteriorated on the fireline.[7]
The fire quickly continued its aggressive push to the east as high winds, low humidity and rugged terrain sent the fire explosively through the lower rural communities ahead of the fire. This included the historic mining town of Havilah which took a direct hit from the advancing flames, and by Friday evening had been almost entirely destroyed by the Borel Fire.[8] [9]
The fire raged further across the Breckenridge Mountain and crossed Caliente Bodfish Road where it advanced into the Tompson Preserve area by Friday night. By this time, the fire had exploded to 380000NaN0 in size, was still zero percent contained and was described by officials as having grown at a pace similar to what would be expected from a Santa Ana wind driven fire.[8] [10]
As firefighters increased containment lines around the fire and weather conditions improved, growth of the fire slowed. As of August 10, fire activity was minimal, and the fire was 59,392 acres with 91% containment.[11]
The table shows the Borel Fire's growth and containment. Changes to the acreage number after August 1st are likely due to adjustments in the estimated area burned, rather than fire growth.
| Jul 24[12] | 16810NaN0 | ||
| Jul 26[13] | 30920NaN0 | ||
| Jul 27[14] | 384470NaN0 | ||
| Jul 28[15] | 501260NaN0 | ||
| Jul 29[16] | 530100NaN0 | ||
| Jul 30[17] | 573060NaN0 | ||
| Aug 1[18] | 592250NaN0 | ||
| Aug 3[19] | 593890NaN0 | ||
| Aug 5[20] | 593400NaN0 | ||
| Aug 7[21] | 593400NaN0 | ||
| Aug 8[22] | 592880NaN0 | ||
| Aug 9[23] | 592880NaN0 |