A wildfire that erupted Thursday near Lost Hills grew from just a few hundred acres to several thousand acres in only a matter of hours, prompting a major firefighting response as crews worked to contain fast-moving flames fueled by wind and dry vegetation.
According to Kern County Fire Department officials, what began as a small vegetation fire quickly expanded as strong winds pushed flames through dry grass and brush across the landscape.
“It’s in light fuel, grass and brush, and those tend to put off a lot of heat and move quickly,” said Jeremy Ruiz with Kern County Fire. “When we had multiple wind shifts, that caused the fire to move with the wind.”…