UPDATE:LOCKWOOD VALLEY (Tuesday, March 23, 6:20 p.m.)—The Lockwood Valley fire near Adams Trail is completely knocked down and under control. No injuries are reported. The address is 16450 Curtis Trail, across the street from the former Cochema Ranch front gate (where the Bor family once kept horses).

The fire appears to have started in a small shed next to a single-wide mobile home. The shed is gone and the mobile is melted. Community reporter Elena Abreu said that "the single wide went up like cotton candy; I’ve never seen anything burn like that in my life." She said the resident of the mobile appeared to be safe, but told her, "now I’m homeless."

The large wooden barn structure with a metal roof next to the shed has been saved with minimal damage. This is the property of former firefighter Charles Watkins, 85. 

Flames were scorching a 500-gallon propane tank, according to Enterprise reporter Gary Meyer, but firefighters kept it from exploding. Flames climbed up two power poles, bringing the lines down. One is a private pole next to the barn, but the other is a Southern California Edison company line, causing some neighbors to lose power.

The property of Brian Kehoe, the adjacent neighbor, is the staging area for the firefighters. Before they were on scene, Kehoe was able to move obstructions in the yard out of the way so firefighters could get to the fire. The incident commander is Kern County Battalion Chief Kirk Kushen. Responding engines include KCFD 55, 56, 57 (and briefly Engine 58) along with Los Angeles County Fire Department Engine 77 and U.S. Forest Service Los Padres Engine 71 and USFS patrol 72. The helicopter was not required.

LOCKWOOD VALLEY (Tuesday, March 23, 5:26 p.m.)—Community reporter Elena Abreu reports that a fire has broken out in Lockwood Valley, just off of Adams Trail. It is reported that "it appeared to start in a small outbuilding, but now there are flames leaping above the pine trees."

Abreu said that neighbors are trying to put the fire out with tractors and dirt because, "there is no water in the well; it is dry." There were no firefighting trucks at 5:17 p.m., but two Kern County fire engines were en route by 5:22 p.m. Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clark, from the Lockwood Valley substation, was there immediately. No firefighters from Chuchupate had arrived at the time of this first posting.

“A helicopter is five minutes out,” according to our reporter on the scene from The Mountain Enterprise.

Contributing to this report are Elena Abreu, Gary Meyer, Cat Buckles and Patty Wallace; written by Patric Hedlund.

This is part of the March 19, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.