KERN RIVER VALLEY, Calif. (KERO) — The Borel Fire, which began on July 24, exploded just 48 hours later, destroying the historic mining town of Havilah as first responders rushed to evacuate residents. County Fire Captain Cliff Peet from Station 78 in Paiute recently took us back to the fire's footprint, sharing his firsthand experience of the devastating blaze.
"These are all houses. Every one of these lots had a house. They're all gone. There were like 5 houses on that street. They're all gone, every one of them," Peet said.
The 20-year veteran of the Kern River Valley has seen numerous wildfires throughout his career, but nothing compared to the Borel Fire.
"I was looking east, and this was the fire had gone through, and I could just see homes on fire out in these hills that I, I didn't even know they were there," Peet said.
When the fire started, Peet was 60 miles away, working overtime at County Station 53 on Taft Highway and Old River Road. It wasn't until 36 hours later that he was called to action.
"I got a call 2 or 3 in the morning, something like that. My cell phone rang, and it was one of our chiefs on the way up the chain, and he said, Hey, we're going to send a strike team to the Borel Fire -- and we'd really like you to go," Peet said.
After meeting with his strike team at the Lake Isabella fire station, they drove through Bodfish toward Havilah, looking for water sources and urging people to evacuate. That afternoon, the fire's intensity made the danger clear.
"Somebody came over the radio and said, uh, the fire has crossed Caliente Bodfish Road in Havilah and is running to the east. And we looked at each other, and we were like, no. Now the fire is up there. That's not, that's not possible," Peet said.
The Borel Fire expanded dramatically from several thousand acres to more than 35,000 in just one day, racing down the mountainside into Havilah. One of the first rescue operations involved two sheriff deputies and a Forest Service member who became trapped by the fast-moving flames.
"Hey Ty, -- we need to get -- out of here," said a Sheriff's deputy.
Peet recalled the dangerous situation: "We're on School Street, and a fire had jumped across the road we're going to be dealing with. We got to that intersection, and the fire had already blown across the road. There were houses around us on fire, and I uh didn't commit to that road. The fire activity was too intense. I know that road and I know there was not a place to turn a fire engine around for a long way to g,o and I was really worried for those guys."
Fortunately, two battalion chiefs and strike leaders coming from another direction located the group and helped lead them to safety.
As Peet and his crew headed back toward Havilah, the fire surrounded them.
"There was a house on fire right in front of us with the propane tank venting. All the houses on the left side of the street that are gone now were on fire. And so we stopped back there, and I said, we'll be safe right here. We'll let the fire burn around us. We're good again. And while we were sitting there, a woman pulled up in her little car. She's like, I got to get out of here. And I was like, please do not leave, stay right here. We are going to survive right here. She said, my husband and my son stayed at the house and I said, where's the house? And she pointed at it over here somewhere. And I didn't have a response for that," Peet said.
Despite the fire's intensity, there were no fatalities in what became the largest fire in Kern County history. However, hundreds of buildings were destroyed, with only a few structures surviving.
"So, this is the uh old schoolhouse right here. So, we pulled, we pulled up here. This deck was on fire. So, we pulled a bunch of the boards off and put that out," Peet said.
While some residents criticized the fire department's response, Peet said he understands their frustration but remained focused on his mission.
"When you have a 50 ft tall flames 1 mile wide, there's, there's not enough planes or helicopters or firemen or firefighters or fire engines. You can't stop that. It's just you're just trying to manage chaos at that point," Peet said.
Peet noted that residents have been much better about clearing defensible space this year, which is typical following a wildfire. He continues to emphasize this important safety measure.
"We don't, I don't want to see this happen ever again," Peet said.
Despite the devastation, Peet encourages those who can to stay in the community.
"I moved up here in 2005, but you'd come back. I would. It's my place. It's my community. I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd rebuild my house right where it is. I love where I live," Peet said.
Captain Peet stressed that people need to think about defensible space regardless of where they live if they're at risk of vegetation fire. He advises clearing space all year round rather than waiting until the height of fire season.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT LIVE AT 6 AM
The Borel Fire, as you know, began on July 24th, but it exploded on July 26th, just 48 hours after it started. It leveled the historic mining town of Havilah as first responders scrambled to evacuate anyone they could. I caught up with county fire captain Cliff Peet from Station 78 in Paiute, and we drove back into the Borel footprint. I had a front-seat view of his memories in the eye of a firestorm.
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“These are all houses. Every one of these lots had a house. They're all gone. There were like 5 houses on that street. They're all gone, every one of them.”
Captain Cliff Peet joined me for a trip down memory lane, more like a nightmare on this street. And he's seen a few in his 20 years in the Kern River Valley, but nothing like this.
“I was looking east, and this was the fire had gone through, and I could just see homes on fire out in these hills that I, I didn't even know they were there.”
When the Borel Fire started on July 24th, Captain Peet was 60 miles away, working overtime at County Station 53 on Taft Highway and Old River Road, and it wasn't until 36 hours later that he was called into action.
“I got a call 2 or 3 in the morning, something like that. My cell phone rang, and it was one of our chiefs on the way up the chain, and he said, Hey, we're going to send a strike team to the Borel Fire -- and we'd like you to go.”
Peet met up with his strike team at the fire station in Lake Isabella and began driving through Bodfish and up towards Havilah, looking for water sources and encouraging people to evacuate. That afternoon, the Borel fire decided to help convince people to go.
“Somebody came over the radio and said, uh, the fire has crossed Caliente Bodfish Road in Havilah and is running to the east. And we looked at each other, and we were like, no. Now the fire is up there. That's not, that's not possible.”
The Borel Fire erupted from several thousand acres to more than 35,000 in one day, racing down the mountainside and into Havilah. One of the first rescue operations involved two sheriff deputies and a Forest Service member getting trapped by the fast-moving flames.
“Hey, Ty, we need to -- get -- out of here,” said a Sheriff’s deputy.
“We're on School Street, and a fire had jumped across the road we're going to be dealing with. We got to that intersection, and the fire had already blown across the road. There were houses around us on fire, and I uh didn't commit to that road. The fire activity was too intense. I know that road and I know there was not a place to turn a fire engine around for a long way to g,o and I was worried for those guys.”
The group was located by 2 battalion chiefs and strike leaders coming in from a different direction, which helped to lead them out of the area.
“This -- is where we stopped in my fire engine.”
Captain Peet and his crew headed back towards Havilah just as the fire swept in on all sides of them.
“There was a house on fire right in front of us with the propane tank venting. All the houses on the left side of the street that are gone now were on fire. And so we stopped back there, and I said, We'll be safe right here. We'll let the fire burn around us. We're good again. And while we were sitting there, a woman pulled up in her little car. She's like, I got to get out of here. And I was like, please do not leave, stay right here. We are going to survive right here. She said, My husband and my son stayed at the house and I said, Where's the house? And she pointed at it over here somewhere. And I didn't have a response for that.”
But they survived. There were no fatalities associated with the largest fire in Kern County's history. The structures weren't so lucky.
“So, this is the uh old schoolhouse right here. So, we pulled, we pulled up here. This deck was on fire. So, we pulled a bunch of the boards off and put it out.
But it was one of only a few that survived. Hundreds of buildings burned in this fire. In the aftermath, some people were critical of the fire department's response, and while he told me he understands their frustration, he said he stayed focused on his mission.
“When you have a 50 ft tall flames 1 mile wide, there's, there's not enough planes or helicopters or firemen or firefighters or fire engines. You can't stop that. It's just you're just trying to manage chaos at that point.”
Pete said this year, residents were much better about clearing defensible space. It's typical, he said, following a wildfire -- but he keeps preaching it.
“We don't, I don't want to see this happen ever again.”
And he encourages those who can to stay.
“I moved up here in 2005, but you'd come back. I would. It's my place. It's my community. I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd rebuild my house right where it is. I love where I live.”
We'd like to thank Captain Cliff Peet for taking the time to take us through his memories of the Borel Fire on that day. He did want to stress that people need to think about defensible space, no matter where you live, if you’re at risk of vegetation fire. Clear space all year round. Don't wait for them to come tell you to do it at the height of fire season.
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