Fire destroys 6 homes, burns 4,200 acres in Riverkern – Evacuations forced in area north of Kernville

Among the houses destroyed by fire Monday in Riverkern was the home of Edward and Pat Crain. They lost everything, including hundreds of thousands of dollars of memorabilia and a vintage Volkswagen Bug. But that’s not why Edward Crain was crying. He wept because the only pictures they had of their murdered daughter also went up in flames. “This is unbelievable, this is unbelievable,” Crain kept repeating as he stared at the ruins of his home. The fire that devastated the Crains and others began 1:45 p.m. in Bull Run Creek, about three miles north of Kernville, according to Kern County Fire Department spokesman Sean Collins. It quickly spread, leading to evacuations. By Monday evening, the fire had scorched 4,200 acres of grass and vegetation and several structures. The fire threatened homes on both the east and west sides of the Kern River. Hundreds of firefighters, along with seven air tankers and seven water-dropping helicopters were doing their best to protect the structures. In some cases, it wasn’t enough. Four houses to the east of Butch McNally’s home at the corner of Cannel Creek Road and Sierra Way burned, including the Crain residence. A total of six structures were destroyed. The home of McNally, a retired Kern County fire captain, was spared. His wife, Jill, attributed their good fortune to hazard reduction. “There were embers on our roof, but it didn’t burn,” she said. The main wing of the Sequoia Lodge was undamaged, but a building that appeared to house a couple of units was burned. People throughout the area were standing outside watching the dense brown smoke as the evening wore on. Evacuees were told to go to the senior center in Lake Isabella. Camp Owen, a juvenile detention facility, was also evacuated, and the juveniles were taken to the juvenile hall and the Crossroads facility. The cause of the fire is unknown, Collins said. No injuries were reported. Despite that bit of good news, much work remained as the fire continued to ravage the landscape. “This is the fire we were worried about this season,” Collins said. Beverly Lent lives on Locust Lane near where the fire started. She saw the smoke and noticed how nervous her neighbors were getting and decided to leave. One of her 10 sons came over and put her antique oak desk loaded with photographs into his truck. She grabbed her cat and a few other belongings and drove away. “I’m going to do (the evacuation) softly and gently,” Lent said. “For me, it’s the photos and my cat. “I don’t care about the rest. The rest God will take care of.”