Evacuations recommended in 3,500-acre Stagecoach fire in Kern County
Officials have kept recommended evacuations in place as firefighters continue to battle a 3,500-acre vegetation fire in Kern County.
The blaze, named the Stagecoach fire, was first reported on the Kern County Fire Department’s Twitter feed at 3:40 p.m. Monday, located off Stagecoach Drive and Old Ox Road, south of the community of Havilah. The fire encompassed 15 acres then.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, it had grown to 3,500 acres, with 5% containment, according to the county’s fire department. About 250 structures are threatened and two have been destroyed. Twenty-one engines, three helicopters and more than 200 personnel are fighting the fire.
Evacuation recommendations were issued for residents west of Caliente Bodfish Road, as well as those in the area east of Caliente Bodfish Road and north of Walker Basin Road. Officials also announced precautionary evacuations for the area off Indian Oaks Road, east of Caliente Bodfish.
A temporary evacuation point has been established at a parking lot at 710 W. Tehachapi Blvd. in Tehachapi.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
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