Erskine Fire: 150 Structures Destroyed, 1,500 More Threatened by 54-Square-Mile Wildfire in Kern County

 

A massive wildfire in the Lake Isabella area of Kern County that has killed two people and burned down some 150 structures and is threatening 1,500 more as firefighters frantically work Saturday to contain the out-of-control inferno.Less than two days after erupting, the Erskine Fire has left a path of destruction and devastation in its wake, charring nearly 55 square miles of the Southern Sierra Nevada and prompting the evacuations of numerous local residents, according to Cal Fire and the federal InciWeb information page.

 

The blaze went from 5 percent containment Friday to 0 percent containment Saturday, according to a tweet from Cal Fire Chief of Public Information Daniel Berlant.Two people, a man and a woman, died in the fire, the Kern County Fire Department said Friday around noon.

Their bodies were discovered outside a home that was destroyed, and it appeared they were trying to flee the flames when they were overcome, according to Ray Pruitt, a spokesman for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities believe the pair succumbed to smoke inhalation, the Los Angeles Times reported. Their identifications have not been released.

Source: ktla5

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