Update: 5% containment achieved for Lost Fire in Kern County

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Updated: 6:43 a.m. June 19

First discovered: 20 hours ago, 10:03 a.m. June 18

Initial location: 4 miles northwest of Lokern Road & Lost Hills Road, 35 miles west of Bakersfield, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Unified Command: Kern County Fire & Bureau of Land Management

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Lost Fire

Lost Fire initially started 10:03 a.m. June 18 in 4 miles northwest of Lokern Road & Lost Hills Road, 35 miles west of Bakersfield in Kern County, California.

Since its discovery 20 hours ago, it has burned 7,500 acres. By Friday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 5% of this fire. Investigations into its cause are still ongoing.

Evacuation information from Cal Fire

Evacuation Orders

Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access.

Evacuation Orders have been issued for the following zones:

KRN-209-B

KRN-219-B

KRN-243-B

Evacuation Warnings

Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.

Evacuation Warnings have been issued for the following zones:

KRN--243-A

KRN-245

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-McKittrickNorth

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 5% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 5% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 95% is still uncontrolled.

Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. It is normally expressed as a percentage and it refers to how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded/enclosed by a control line that firefighters create. The containment percentage indicates a certain level of control, but it doesn't always correlate to safety level. Also, it's important to note that containment doesn't mean a fire is out.

How is containment measured?

The incident's central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground. As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage. The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.

Source: Cal Fire

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 6:11 AM.