Update: River Fire burns 175 acres in Kern Canyon, Highway 178 remains closed

The River Fire burning in the Kern River Canyon was mapped at approximately 175 acres late Sunday morning as firefighters continued battling the blaze that forced the closure of Highway 178 in both directions between the Kern River Valley and Bakersfield.

The fire was reported at about 8:22 a.m. in the 19600 block of Kern Canyon Road near the mouth of the canyon, according to emergency dispatch traffic and fire monitoring reports.

CHP ordered a hard closure of Highway 178 on both ends of the canyon at about 8:46 a.m. There remains no estimated time for reopening.

Watch Duty reported the fire at approximately 175 acres as of 10:49 a.m., citing incident command. No containment percentage had been reported at the time of publication.

Initial dispatch reports described the fire spreading at a moderate rate, prompting a significant response that included engines, hand crews, bulldozers, water tenders and aircraft. Some resources assigned earlier in the incident had cleared by late morning as crews continued working the fire line.

Emergency radio traffic indicated law enforcement was coordinating with fire officials on the canyon closure, while transportation agencies were being notified of the shutdown.

The closure continues to impact one of the Kern River Valley’s primary routes to Bakersfield, affecting residents, visitors and anyone traveling through the canyon.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. The Kern Valley Sun will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.