This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. See previous reporting here.
KERNVILLE, Calif. – Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Kern County Tuesday to survey damage from the Borel Fire that has forced thousands of evacuations and has destroyed a local historic town.
He also announced he had just signed a proclamation to fast-track resources and support like more fire personnel and unemployment insurance for fire victims.
The Borel Fire has burned 57,308 acres and is 5% contained. It’s the first containment report from fire crews after the fire moved rapidly late last week through an area of dry vegetation in the Kern County mountains.
The community of Havilah – the county’s original seat of government that was founded during the Gold Rush – was caught in its path and is feared to be completely destroyed.
Evacuation centers are located in Tehachapi and Ridgecrest as crews continue to fight the fire. The Borel Fire is one of three fires that a single incident team is fighting. Two others – the Trout and Long fires – are in Tulare County and are largely under control.
Concern for long fire season
The state is fighting several wildfires at once. The largest, called the Park Fire, is burning in Northern California near Redding. It has consumed 384,000 acres and is the sixth largest wildfire in state history.
Speaking in Kernville, on the north edge of Lake Isabella, Newsom said the current size and level of fires was anticipated for this year and has come to bear.
He cautioned that it is only the beginning of fire season, and that some of the most destructive fires in recent years have come later in the year.
“It’s not just August, September and October, but likely November and December that we'll be fighting the ferocity of mother nature and these fires,” Newsom said.
But he said the state is prepared. It has also gotten assistance from fire resources from other states. Fire officials fighting the Borel Fire said Tuesday they have relied on nighttime resources to fight the blaze and keep it away from populated areas of Kern County like Lake Isabella and Bodfish.
‘Towns wiped off the map’
Newsom was expected to visit Havilah later on Tuesday to examine the damage there.
He said the White House expressed its support for recovery. Officials have not provided a detailed account of how many structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Borel Fire, but they were in the process of conducting thorough inspections of the damage, according to the fire incident team.
Newsom said as soon as that information was available, he would inform the Biden Administration to formally request federal resources.
Newsom lamented the loss of communities in wildfires – what is now the reality in Kern County. He named off small mountain towns that have burned in recent years, like Paradise, Greenville and Grizzly Flats, mostly in Northern California.
Many of those towns have had long recoveries that have taken years.
“Towns wiped off the map. Places, lifestyles, traditions – that’s what this is really all about at the end of the day. It’s about people, it’s about history, it’s about memories,” he said.
