Wildfire, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- June 23, 2:00 PM PST to June 30, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Wildfire in California, June 23 to 30, 2016
The Erskine Fire began on June 23, 2016 along Erskine Creek Road, 1 mile southwest of Lake Isabella in Kern County. The fire spread rapidly due to strong, gusty winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions on June 23 through 25.
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
The Erskine Fire began on June 23, 2016 along Erskine Creek Road, 1 mile southwest of Lake Isabella in Kern County. The fire spread rapidly due to strong, gusty winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions on June 23 through 25. The growth of the fire slowed as winds decreased by June 26, however the fire continued to burn through early July before being contained on July 9. It burned 48,019 acres. The fire closed Highway 178 east of Bakersfield for several days with evacuation of numerous small communities in the Lake Isabella area. The fire destroyed 285 residences and 1 commercial building as well as damaging 12 other residences. There were 2 fatalities as an elderly couple were unable to escape the rapidly moving fire. The cost of containment as of July 9, was $23 million.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 23, 12:12 PM PST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 12:12 PM PST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 112 PM PDT THU JUN 23 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A low pressure system moving across the Pacific Northwest will bring increased winds to much of our area through Friday evening. Temperatures will rise to much above normal this by Sunday and dry weather will continue across central California through the middle of next week as high pressure strengthens over the region. && .DISCUSSION... A brief break from the heat across central California, as most high temperatures across the San Joaquin Valley should be in the 90s on Friday. There is enough of a gradient aloft to keep surface winds breezy to windy until Friday evening. This includes the Mojave Desert, where a Wind Advisory remains in effect. Very low RH fields, so sky will be generally clear in the short-term. Otherwise, heights build aloft again this weekend over the forecast area. Models then suggest a dry and hot pattern to persist through next week. As usual, the higher Sierra range and parts of the Mojave desert will be breezy at times. Mid and upper level moisture begins to move northward by the middle of next week, but confidence is growing that it will remain well east of the forecast area. In fact, best chances of any convection look to be over Arizona, Utah and eastern Nevada. Therefore, will keep the forecast dry with most afternoon temperatures reaching the triple digits across central California. && .AVIATION... Other than a few cumulus over the Sierra-Nevada range, a clear sky and VFR conditions will continue across central California into this weekend. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... On Thursday June 23 2016... Unhealthy in Sequoia National Park and Forest. Unhealthy for sensitive groups in Fresno... Kern... Kings and Tulare Counties. Further informaiton is available at Valleyair.org && .CERTAINTY... The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is High. The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is Medium. Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.php for additional information an/or to provide feedback. && .HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Wind Advisory until 10 PM PDT Friday CAZ095-098-099. && public...Lynott avn/fw...Lynott synopsis...DS weather.gov/hanford
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire, Kern Cty Mtns | 2016-06-23 | 81 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Wildfire, Kern Cty Mtns | 2016-06-23 | 90 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, June 23, 2016
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, June 23 to 24, 2016
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, June 23, 2016
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, June 23, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 23, 2016
- Flood and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, June 23 to 24, 2016
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, June 23, 2016
- Flash Flood and Hail in Ohio, June 23, 2016
- Damaging Winds in Kentucky, June 23, 2016
- Damaging Winds in Kentucky, June 23, 2016
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 23, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, June 23, 2016
More
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2016
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 637349.