720-Acre Rancho Fire Now 85 Percent Contained
LEBEC (CBSLA.com) — Firefighters Saturday said a 720-acre brush fire in Kern County is 85 percent contained.
The fire Friday forced the evacuation of some homes in the community of Lebec.
The so-called Rancho Fire was threatening homes in the Oak Knolls Road area in Dejai Canyon, placing structures in the 6500 block of Digier Road under evacuation orders.
As of 4:45 p.m., fire officials said about 23 homes have been evacuated and an evacuation center has been set up at Gorman School at 49847 Gorman School Road.
The fire broke out just after 2 p.m. Friday.
Approximately 182 firefighters were assisting in the firefight from the Kern County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Cal Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service.
Authorities Friday said the fire had the potential of growing to 1,500 acres. On Saturday, officials seemed hopeful they had the upper hand and expect full containment by Monday.
"We have multiple strike teams that have just arrived on scene to assist us," said Kern County Fire Engineer Anthony Romero. "We do have hand crews that are on scene to help us."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Stay with cbsla.com and KNX 1070 for more details as they happen.
