44 Fires Burn 2,000 Acres in Bakersfield Area

More than 40 fires charred at least 2,000 acres in the Bakersfield area Thursday, with many of the blazes believed to be the work of an arsonist, authorities said.

Eight to 10 fires were burning out of control Thursday night, said Kern County Fire Chief Cary Eckard. No injuries had been reported.

“It has far exceeded the 1,000 acres reported earlier,” he said. “They’re scattered all over the place.”

Firefighters were busy chasing 44 fires. Of those, at least 18 were of suspicious origins, he said.

“Someone had knowledge about burning to pick a weather pattern like this,” he said.

One fire, north of the city, burned two vehicles and two unknown structures, he said.

Some of the fires started from high winds disrupting power lines and causing electrical shorts, Eckard said.

Flames burned near several trailer parks, but recent weed clearance protected the structures. No evacuations were planned.

More than 100 firefighters were battling the scattered blazes.