Brush fire likely started by lightning burned 2,500 acres south of Bakersfield

UPDATE (June 27, 2:55 p.m.) — Kern County fire officials said the Thunder Fire has burned 2,500 acres and is 100% contained.

UPDATE (June 24, 7 a.m.) — Kern County fire officials said the Thunder Fire has burned 2,466 acres and is at 75% containment.

UPDATE (June 23, 11:55 p.m.) — Kern County fire officials said the Thunder Fire has burned 2,466 acres as of Thursday night. The fire is at 65% containment, with 311 fire personnel working to put out the fire.

UPDATE (June 23, 3:30 p.m.) — Fire officials said the Thunder Fire has burned 2,330 acres and is at 45% containment. Two hundred fifty firefighters are working to put out the fire.

UPDATE (June 23) — Andrew Freeborn, the Kern County Fire Department’s Public Information Officer, confirmed to 17 News that the fire’s acreage and containment grew overnight. The fire has so far burned 2,300 acres, but it is now at 20 percent containment.

There is a possibility the smoke from the fire will impact road conditions on the grapevine.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A fire, likely started by lightning early Wednesday morning, has burned 1,800 acres south of Bakersfield, Kern County fire officials said.

The Thunder Fire broke out early Wednesday morning southeast of Interstate 5 and Edmonston Pumping Plant Road. KCFD said it started as two fires in the area and has since grown to 1,800 acres by Wednesday night.

CHP briefly escorted traffic through I-5 in Fort Tejon because of smoke as the fire made its way toward the highway late Wednesday afternoon.

About 250 firefighters are working to contain the fire. It is at 10% containment.