New brush fire balloons to more than 2,000 acres near Lake Isabella in Kern County

A fast-growing brush fire that started in Kern County on Wednesday afternoon ballooned to more than 2,000 acres by nighttime.

The French fire, east of Lake Isabella, grew from 50 acres shortly before 6 p.m. to 2,155 acres shortly after 9 p.m. and remained at 0% containment, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

Evacuation orders were put in place for the Sawmill area, fire officials said. The Red Cross will set up an evacuation center at Kern River Valley Senior Center, 6403 Lake Isabella Road.

“Firefighters continue to closely monitor the wind shifts and extreme fire behaviors to get the best access to fight this fire,” the Fire Department said.