Tehachapi News

Keene firefighters assist at Wofford fire

The Wofford fire that burned 525 acres in an area one mile southeast of Kernville was reported fully controlled at 6 p.m. on May 16.

Fire fighting personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, CAL-FIRE, Bureau of Land Management and the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD), including Keene’s Helitack Crew 408, from Station 11, who responded with a crew of 16 firefighters.

The fire began in the afternoon of Sunday, May 13. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Crews dealt with steep terrain, high winds and difficult access.
In an interagency news release, KCFD incident commander Brent Moon said he was proud of the quick response by his firefighting personnel.

“They made a great effort in the rugged, extremely steep terrain to control this fire,” said Moon.

The threat to structures was limited to the Pascoe Ranch, but both Moon and BLM incident commander stressed the importance of residents to keep their property fire safe by clearing the acreage around their properties.

Brinsfield said, “It is in the very best interest of the public to comply with the hazard reduction clearance requirements,” adding that firefighting agencies cannot emphasize enough the importance clearance can make to saving lives and property.