LAMONT, Calif. (KERO) — A fire that started late Saturday night and stretched into Sunday morning left a path of destruction in Lamont, consuming a warehouse before spreading to a nearby mobile home park and igniting a yard packed with pallets and cardboard bales.
Kern County Fire Department crews responded to initial reports of a structure fire at a warehouse, which quickly escalated as flames found additional fuel sources.
"The initial response for the structure fire those reports came in as a fire at the warehouse," said Jon Drucker, Kern County Fire Department Fire Engineer and Public Information Officer.
The blaze spread rapidly through the area, demonstrating the dangerous potential of fires when they encounter flammable materials.
"This is what a large fire can do, when it finds a flammable source it can spread quickly," Drucker said.
As the flames approached residential areas, community members rushed to alert their neighbors about the danger.
"They called me and they said the mobile homes were burning and the fire was getting really close," said Lordes Velasco, a Lamont resident whose parents' mobile home suffered partial damage.
When I returned to the scene the next morning, residents shared their experiences from the frightening night.
"They were worried, and scared and nervous, because it was unexpected," Velasco said.
The community response highlighted the close-knit nature of this Lamont neighborhood, with residents helping each other evacuate as the danger approached.
"Everybody please get out our residence theirs a fire imitating in front of your house," said Jose Galindo, a Lamont resident who helped spread the warning.
Galindo emphasized the importance of community support during emergencies, especially considering the economic challenges many local families face.
"They're not in the greatest position to miss a day of work or go from a burning trailer you know," Galindo said.
Fire crews are still working to determine what caused the blaze.
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