Outgoing Editor’s Note: I must apologize for the error I caused in the final minutes before this story was sent to our printer, which caused the contents of page 1 to be repeated on page 11 where the continuation of the story should have appeared. Daniel and his team worked hard to bring valuable information to the article about the fire that affected many local residents last week. The complete, corrected story is provided here.

By Daniel Schwartz, TME

On Tuesday, September 8 at around 1:59 p.m., a fire broke out on the corner of Mt. Pinos Way and Walnut Trail in Frazier Park.

This reporter arrived at 2:12 p.m. and observed a car burning on Mt. Pinos Way. It was windy and the fire spread from the truck to a tree at the property on the corner of Mt. Pinos Way and Walnut Trail. There were three or four loud explosions, all of which appeared to be coming from the vehicle.

A man on the scene named Daniel V said that he was driving behind a truck on Mt. Pinos Way when he first saw “smog” billowing from the exhaust and a fireball erupted underneath the vehicle. Daniel V said the driver at first did not seem to notice, so he started honking and screaming to get his attention.

According to Daniel V, he eventually got the driver’s attention and the driver abandoned his vehicle, which was destroyed in the incident. The identity of the driver is unknown at this time, but Kern County Fire Department reported no injuries from the incident.

Residents said the first engine arrived 10-20 minutes after the fire started. At the time the fire broke out, there were radio dispatches for local fire stations regarding another fire North of highway 138.

Many residents rushed to the corner of Mt. Pinos Way and Walnut Trail to check on their neighbors and nearby properties. Multiple residents expressed concern and care for the safety of others in the area.

After about twenty minutes, smoke appeared at two adjacent properties and the fire “jumped” from one side of the street to the other. A large plume of smoke and flames appeared on the corner of Walnut Trail and Poplar Trail. Residents rushed with their own hoses in an attempt to put the fire out on Poplar Trail, while firefighters divided their efforts between the various areas on Walnut Trail and Mt. Pinos Way that were burning.

Community members were understandably nervous, but the fire department methodically faced one fire at a time. Several additional fire engines and law enforcement officers arrived at the scene over the next 35 minutes. A helicopter flew overhead, dumping water on the property at the corner of Mt. Pinos Way and Walnut Trail.

The frantic atmosphere started settling down at approximately 2:45 p.m. There was still a great deal of smoke but minimal flames were visible. By 2:50 p.m. the smoke was dissipating.

An evacuation warning was issued at 3:14 p.m. and later lifted at 3:48 p.m.

Kern County Fire Department Public Information Officer Jonathan Drucker left the site at approximately 5:10 PM, at which point the fire progress was completely halted at three acres. According to Drucker, one residential structure and fences on several surrounding properties were damaged. Drucker said there were no injuries.

The fire did partially reach the crawl space inside the damaged residence at the corner of Mt. Pinos Way and Walnut Trail. Drucker said Kern County firefighters are trained to fight both wildfires and structural fires. They immediately made entry to the house and stopped the fire in its place.

Drucker said high winds caused the fire to spread from the vehicle to the residential property and to jump to the other side of Walnut Trail. He said the department did a “fantastic job” stopping the fire quickly.

Once the flames were contained, firefighters focused on “mopping up” and extinguishing hot spots until the fire was completely put out.
Drucker applauded community members who came out with garden hoses to help.

Frazier Park Public Utility Manager Johnnie Allison visited The Mountain Enterprise office and said he observed a community member attempting to tap into a fire hydrant with a personal hose. He strongly cautioned against doing this, saying only the fire department should use the hydrant and incorrect use could damage the firefighting hoses and equipment, and cut off water availability to the firefighters.

Allison also shared his pride in how community members ran to the scene and that this type of togetherness was why he loved living in these mountains.

This is part of the September 13, 2024 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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