This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This story was updated July 28 at 2:00 p.m. and at 8:00 p.m. See previous reporting here.
HAVILAH, Calif. — The Borel Fire burning in the Kern County mountains since last Wednesday grew to 50,000 acres by Sunday night after destroying the small gold-mining town of Havilah.
The fire is 0% contained, and has led to the evacuation of 2,300 residents — with evacuation warnings and orders being expanded throughout the weekend.
The fire hit an area of green brush which helped give crews a break from extreme fire behavior that was aided as the fire burned along dry fuels days earlier.
Helicopters and air tankers are assisting the fire fight from above as crews worked to establish containment lines in the ground and protect any structures left in the fire’s path.
Roy Fluhart, president of the Havilah Historical Society, was surprised by the fire’s explosive nature. It started below Lake Isabella, along Highway 178 and jumped a mountain eastward before reaching the community of Havilah and its surrounding areas.
“It’s a little unusual, but the stars lined up and there it went,” Fluhart, speaking with KQED, said Sunday.
Havilah's fire history
Charred vehicles, homes and trees were frozen in time along Havilah's main road as flames and smoke were still visible in the distance on Sunday.
Officials with the fire incident team tending to the fire have not provided an official count about how many structures have been damaged or destroyed.
This isn’t the first fire to hit the town. Fluhart, the town historian, says a different fire as far back as the 1920s also caused considerable destruction. Most of the historical buildings, he said, were destroyed. Much of what is there today was rebuilt.
The Havilah courthouse, which is feared to have burned with the Borel Fire, was built in 1966 during the town’s centennial anniversary as a replica of the former courthouse, according to Fluhart.
Havilah used to boast a population in the thousands in its heyday, but has shrunk over the decades. Overtime, it has been surrounded by many other housing developments along the mountain area.
Fluhart said Sunday at least 100 people in what can be considered the original part of Havilah may have been displaced by the fire, but “there’s a lot more people in the surrounding areas.”
Fire burning in 'unforgiving country'
Jim Snow, commander of the incident team tending to the Borel Fire, told reporters at a press conference held over the weekend that the area around Havilah hasn't seen fire activity since the 1990s. He called the land where the fire is burning as "unforgiving country," because of its steep terrain, in addition to being prime for wildfires.
Snow reported there have been "light injuries" related to the heat during the fire fight. At least one resident within the fire area also suffered burns to their arm.
The incident team fighting the Borel Fire was already fighting two separate fires in the Tulare County portion of the Sierra Nevada. The Trout and Long fires are 25% and 35% contained, respectively.
Snow said having a fire team nearby helped respond to the Borel Fire, but that fire and weather conditions outpaced firefighters and grew to its current size.
On Saturday, deputies with the Kern County Sheriff's Office were briefly trapped by flames as they conducted evacuation operations with the Borel Fire. Snow said they managed to escape the area after flames broke and cleared their path.
Evacuation centers were established at the Tehachapi Education Center, 126 S. Snyder Ave., and at Burroughs High School, 500 E. French Ave. in Ridgecrest. At least 26 people arrived at the shelters on Saturday.
KQED's Keith Mizuguchi contributed reporting.
