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A wildfire in Kern County has rapidly expanded, growing from 100 acres to a staggering 2,000 acres in just a few hours on Thursday. Firefighters are contending with challenging terrain near Ridgecrest, according to CAL FIRE.
The blaze, termed the Canyon Fire, was initially reported at 3:54 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 14 and Highway 178.
By 4:02 p.m., officials announced that the fire had already consumed 100 acres and was 0% contained.
In a mere 10 minutes, the blaze intensified dramatically, covering 800 acres, and by 5:52 p.m., the fire had surged to 2,000 acres.
Fire crews have continued their efforts into the night, working diligently to fortify control lines despite the tough and inaccessible terrain complicating their efforts.
“Firefighters continue to build and improve control lines. Terrain is making access difficult,” an update posted at 6:21 p.m. stated.
The incident falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and is not a CAL FIRE-managed incident.
The fire is burning near the El Paso Mountains Wilderness area outside Ridgecrest.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.