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| Friday, Apr 6 2007 11:03 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Apr 6 2007 11:03 PM
A fast-moving, lightning-sparked wildfire threatened but did not damage several homes east of Isabella Lake near Walker Pass Friday night.
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Firefighters work on backfiring around several of the Joshua Trees while working on this brush fire Friday night on the east side of Walker Pass.
The fire had scorched more than 700 acres as of 8 p.m. Friday, according to Debbie Santiago, spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Land Management.
It was 50 percent contained and full containment was expected around 6 p.m. today, she said.
Its quite alarming to see something get that large, Santiago said.
The fire threatened about eight residences, a combination of single-family residences and mobile homes, a Kern County fire spokesman said.
At its closest, the blaze was about a half-mile from the houses, according to BLM Battalion Chief David Brinsfield.
A large lightning storm passed through the area around 1:30 p.m. Friday and started the fire, Santiago said. The fire was six miles east of Walker Pass, just south of Highway 178, in eastern Kern County, according to Santiago.
About 200 firefighters attacked the fire, including Kern County fire units, U.S. Forest Service units and BLM units, Santiago said.
Early reports on the fire said that Highway 178 had closed, but it remained open as fire crews battled the blaze, Brinsfield said.
Assistant News Editor Chris George contributed to this report.