BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A 30,000-square-foot warehouse in East Bakersfield caught fire Saturday around 2 p.m., marking the third time in less than two years a building in the complex has burned.
Kern County Fire arrived to find the structure fully involved in the fire. As of Monday, the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The causes of the two previous fires were not released publicly.
Despite the size of the blaze, air quality monitoring data showed no significant changes at sites across the Bakersfield area during and after the fire.
"We were fortunate Saturday; there were no recorded impacts. Dispersion was good, pretty much straight up for the plume," a San Joaquin Valley Air Board spokesperson said.
The smoke rose vertically and dispersed before reaching ground-level monitoring sites.
The recurring fires raise questions about prevention and property management. A City of Bakersfield spokesperson said the city is aware of the issue and is working on a solution, but attempts to reach the property owner have gone unanswered.
"The City is currently evaluating its abatement options regarding this property, including soliciting bids for demolition. However, those bids are extensive and exceed funding available to the City at this time," the City of Bakersfield spokesperson said.
The warehouse complex sits in Ward 2, represented by Bakersfield City Council Member Andrae Gonzalez. He wants to see changes in how vacant and inactive structures are monitored inside city limits.
"We have to make sure that property owners are properly maintaining these sites, and that we need to know what buildings are vacant and will be vacant in the future, so that we can more proactively monitor these sites on a regular basis, and so there's a lot more to do here," Gonzalez said.
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