Firefighters battling blaze across 400 acres in Kern County

Firefighters are working to contain a brush fire that sparked Friday morning in Kern County, according to authorities.

The Sherwood fire started around 10:15 a.m. in the area north of Sherwood Avenue and Famoso-Woody Road, east of Highway 65 and north of Bakersfield, according to Cal Fire. The fire was 20% contained as of 2 p.m., at which point it had grown to 373 acres.

An evacuation warning was issued for the area north of Famoso Road and Famoso-Woody Road, south of Garces Highway, east of Porterville Highway and west of Bakersfield-Glennville Road.

Firefighters are fighting the blaze with the help of aircraft flying in from Porterville, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina. Temperatures were around the low 70s Friday afternoon, with northwest winds around 10 to 12 mph.

“As the smoke comes up, it’s pushing everything southwest in that area,” Molina said. “Because the winds are not too strong right now, [firefighters are] getting a good handle on the fire.”

Temperatures are expected to rise another 10 to 15 degrees between Friday afternoon and Sunday, meaning they could get into the mid-80s, Molina said. The relative humidity will also drop to around 15% to 19% by Sunday.

“As the conditions worsen a little bit, they may not be favorable for putting the fire out,” he added.

Molina recommended that residents in the area pay attention to officials and local law enforcement and leave the area if an evacuation order is issued. Not only will it keep people safe, he said, but it’ll also allow the firefighters to focus on fighting the blaze instead of conducting rescues.