Update 5/19/2026 1 pm: River Fire grows past 3,500 acres; Highway 178 hard closure remains in effect

The River Fire in the Kern River Canyon grew to 3,534.9 acres Tuesday afternoon as firefighters continued working to contain the blaze and CHP maintained a hard closure of Highway 178 through the canyon.

CAL FIRE perimeter mapping showed the fire at 3,534.9 acres, while containment remained at 15%, according to fire monitoring reports.

The fire was first reported at about 8:22 a.m. Monday in the 19600 block of Kern Canyon Road near the mouth of the canyon and has continued burning in steep, rugged terrain west of the Kern River Valley.

CHP’s hard closure remains in effect in both directions through the Kern River Canyon, with no public access allowed. Officials have cited active fire conditions, along with falling rocks and debris affecting the roadway, as reasons for keeping the highway closed.

The fire remains under unified command between Kern County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service-Sequoia National Forest. Agencies assigned to the response include Kern County Fire, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Bureau of Land Management, CHP-Bakersfield and Caltrans District 6.

The prolonged closure continues to affect Kern River Valley residents, commuters, visitors and commercial traffic traveling between the valley and Bakersfield. Motorists seeking to reach Bakersfield from the Kern River Valley have been forced to use alternate routes.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Because this article was written Tuesday and the Kern Valley Sun’s print edition publishes Wednesday, fire size, containment and road closure conditions may have changed by the time readers receive this newspaper. For the latest daily updates on the River Fire and Highway 178 closures, visit kernvalleysun.com and follow the Kern Valley Sun on social media.