Single Publication

Acres: 59,389 

Containment: 52%

Total Personnel: 1531

Community Meeting: Sunday, August 4th, there will be a Borel Fire Community Meeting at 1:30 p.m., at Woodrow Wallace Middle School Gymnasium, located at 3240 Erskine Creek Road, Lake Isabella, CA 93240.

Current Situation: The Borel Fire has not increased acreage in the past 24 hours. Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place and the status of several zones have been updated. Please see the evacuation section below for the current information and visit Genasys Protect's interactive map at tinyurl.com/jcdv55f9. It's crucial for residents to stay informed and follow the evacuation advisories, warnings, and orders to ensure their safety. Concentrated work continues as inspection teams remain in place to determine all impacted structures within the fire perimeter. The Borel Fire is under a unified command led by the California Interagency Incident Management Team (CIIMT) 11, US Forest Service, Kern County Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, and Kern County Sheriff's Office.

Borel Fire: Yesterday’s thunderstorm brought light to moderate rain over the fire, which improved overnight relative humidity recovery and slightly increased fuel moisture levels. This, in addition to another night of calm winds, reduced fire activity in most areas last night. Today begins a warming trend, which will bring hotter and dryer conditions. The eastern and southeastern portion of the fire are still active near Erskine Creek, where access has been difficult, due to steep terrain. However, crews have made their way into this area and are constructing handline, moving north and south along the fire’s edge, to complete this segment of line. Contingency line continues to be constructed by clearing around roadways and constructing dozer line to protect the community of Claraville. The fire remains north of Walker Basin, as firefighters patrol and improve line in that area. To the north, crews are clearing roads and patrolling in the Kern Canyon Road corridor and have held the fire south of Sandy helicopter dip site. Saddle Springs Road is holding secure and crews are installing and improving line. Patrolling and monitoring activities continue along Caliente-Bodish Road. Ensuring the safety of residents and protecting property remain top priorities.

Trout and Long Fire: For continuing information, please visit: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/casqf-2024-sqf-lightning

Weather & Air Quality: The weather will be sunny, warmer and dryer today, with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Westerly winds will remain over the fire with gusts up to 18 mph. A daily smoke outlook is produced for communities affected by wildfire smoke: tinyurl.com/452x2uzr.

Sequoia National Forest & BLM Closures & Restrictions: Sequoia National Forest lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites around the Trout and Long Fires are temporarily closed under Forest Order No. 0513-24-12. Lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites around the Borel Fire are closed under Forest Order No. 0513-24-14. Fire restrictions are in effect under Forest Order No. 0513-24-10. All orders, maps, and accompanying appendices can be found on the Forest’s website: tinyurl.com/2en2d36k. The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office has temporarily closed Long Valley Campground, Chimney Creek Campground, and portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). View the emergency closure order here: tinyurl.com/4mprcb9b. The PCT is closed between Hwy 178 at Walker Pass (mile 653) and the South Fork of the Kern River bridge (mile 717.7).

Evacuation Center: Residents under an evacuation warning or order can go to the Tehachapi Education Center located at 126 S. Snyder Ave., Tehachapi. Animal services are available to assist in sheltering companion animals at the center. Contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. 

Large-Animal Assistance: The rodeo grounds in Kernville (467 Scodie Ave., Kernville) is available for residents who need to move large animals or livestock. For more information, contact Orion, Kernville Chamber of Commerce, 661-340-0026.

Road Closures: Portions of Caliente Bodfish Road are also closed. Visit the Kern County Public Works Department website for the most up to date information on county road closures (tinyurl.com/z6crvp6t)

Evacuations: Everyone in areas of active fires should “Know Your Zone.” Go to Genasys Protect (tinyurl.com/jcdv55f9) to identify the zone you reside in. On Thursday, several changes to evacuation orders and warnings were announced, as described below. 

Be advised, the Borel Fire is not fully contained, only the zones listed below have been reduced. All other evacuation orders and warnings are still in effect. Please be aware that firefighting activities will continue for several more days or weeks. If any other areas become threatened, additional warnings and instructions will be issued. 

Zone 735: Genasys Zone KRN-735 has been split North and South at Ball Mountain. The southern portion, now KRN-735-B, will remain in an Evacuation ORDER. The northern portion, now KRN-735-A, has been downgraded to an evacuation WARNING. Those that remain under an evacuation warning should stay PREPARED to leave. The situation can change quickly, and visibility in the area may be reduced and roads can become blocked. 

Zone 750: The southern portion, KRN-750-A, will remain in Evacuation Warning status. Those that remain under an evacuation warning should stay PREPARED to leave. The situation can change quickly, and visibility in the area may be reduced and roads can become blocked. The evacuation warning status of the northern portion, KRN-750-B, has been restored to a normal status. There are no further advisories for Zone KRN-750-B. 

Zone 748: Zone KRN-748 has been downgraded to an Evacuation Warning status. Residents returning to the area should remain PREPARED to leave. The situation can change quickly, and visibility in the area may be reduced and roads can become blocked. 

Zone 734: The evacuation order for Zone KRN-734 has been lifted. There are no further advisories for this zone. 

Zones 752, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733 and 749: Zones KRN-752, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733 and 749 have all been restored to a normal status. There are no further advisories in place for these zones.

The Genasys Protect zone status is listed below.

• Kern County has multiple evacuation orders and warnings in effect due to the Borel Fire. The following zones are under an evacuation order: KRN-403-A, KRN-403B, KRN-735-B, KRN-736, KRN-737, KRN-738, KRN-739, KRN-740, KRN-741, KRN-742, KRN-743, KRN-747-A, and KRN747-B.
• The following zones are under an evacuation warning: KRN-100-B, KRN-102-B, KRN- 419, KRN-735-A, KRN-744, KRN-748, and KRN-750-A.