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Some of today's top storiesNow to an update this morning on the devastating Borel Fire.    CHP reporting Highway 178 is now open in both directions.    But the danger is still far from over.    Borel has scorched more than 57-thousand acres since it started less than a week ago.    And it's only 22-percent contained.    California Governor Gavin Newsom paying first responders a visit yesterday morning to see the devastion of the inferno.     17's Jenny Huh brings us the story. "Unprecedented."    That's how firefighters described the behavior of the Borel Fire as they called on local leaders to declare it the *largest* wildfire in Kern County history.    The Borel Fire now larger than the Erskine Creek fire that scorched more than 51-thousand acres in 1942...and the more-recent Erskine Fire that incinerated nearly 48-thousand acres in 2016. County supervisors declared the Borel fire a local emergency during their meeting in Bakersfield yesterday.    That paves the way for more state and federal assistance in

Some of today's top stories-- firefighters are gaining group on the Borel Fire, as it continues its trek across the Kern River Valley.    The blaze has quickly become one of Kern's largest and most destructive wildfires. All eyes were on Walker Basin and Rankin Ranch as flames inched closer.     But some of those folks are breathing a sigh of relief...as fire crews exhaust themselves to slow the spread. This after the Borel Fire nearly leveled the community of Havilah over the weekend...burning almost every building...including the historic courthouse. This fire started last Wednesday afternoon when a car crashed over the edge of the canyon...catching fire and killing the driver.    It more than tripled in size in a matter of days.    It has now scorched more than 57-thousand acres and is 5-percent contained. Still, hundreds of people remain under evacuation orders tonight...and more are watching and waiting to leave if the fire continues to spread.    Everyone living in the red zone is urged to go now if you

Some of today's top storiesRight now -- all eyes are on Walker Basin....and the renowned Rankin Ranch.    The fire is inching closer...and getting ready to move in.    But fire crews are standing by ready to fight...But the Borel Fire already used the community of Havilah to show its ferocity.    The flames moved in to the area like an unwanted guest -- burning almost everything, including nearly every home. This fire broke out Wednesday afternoon after a car crash sparked some brush.    These are the first few images of the fire shortly after igniting.    Since then, it has quickly become one of the largest and most destructive fires in Kern County history.    The firefight has been brutal as crews battle gusty winds, thick dry brush and steep terrain.    Officials say this area hasn't been scorched in decades, allowing this hungry fire to quickly devour everything in its path. the fire is more than 50-thousand acres.    That's about 80 square miles.    It is zero percent contained.    More than 2-thousand p

Some of today's top storiesAn evacuation order remains in place in the Kern River Canyon and Highway 178 through the canyon remains closed. The fire started around 1 o'clock Wednesday afternoon on the 178 near Democrat Road, southwest of Lake Isabella.  Kern County Fire says a car went over the side of the canyon and caught fire - and that fire quickly spread.  The driver of the car died.  Officials say more than 31-hundred acres of brush has burned and there is no containment on the fire at this hour.  This is video of the smoke cloud earlier this evening.An evacuation order is in effect north of Forest Route 28-S-07, south of Highway 178, east of Breckenridge Road, and west of Forest Route 28-S-19.  The CHP says Highway 178 will remain closed overnight, with no estimate on when it will reopen. This morning -- France was under attack just hours ahead of the Olympic Opening Ceremony.Paris prosecutors say the French high-speed rail network came to a grinding halt due to arson attacks, despite a massive securit

Some of today's top storiesNow to an update on a developing story we brought you at 5 o'clock yesterday evening.    Highway 178 remains closed in the Kern River Canyon due to a rapidly growing wildfire. The so-called "Borel Fire" started around 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon on the 178 near Democrat Road, southwest of Lake Isabella.    Kern County Fire says a car went over the side of the canyon and caught fire - that fire quickly spread.    At last report, it has burned more than 16-hundred acres of brush and there is no containment.    Sadly the driver of the car that caught fire, died at the scene.    An evacuation warning is in effect for areas south of 178 and east of Breckenridge Road.    There's no estimate on when Highway 178 through the canyon will reopen.And a woman is dead this morning after a crash in northwest Bakersfield. It happened just before 7:30 yesterday morning, on Mohawk Street near Refinery Avenue.    A vehicle was found upside down on the west side of Mohawk, with the woman suffering fr

Some of today's top storiesbreaking overnight a pursuit that began with an alleged stolen vehicle in Los Angeles County came to an end last night in Kern County. The chase started around 7:30 yesterday evening in Stevenson Ranch and headed northbound on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine.    Officers with the California Highway Patrol chased the suspected car thief until the vehicle came to a stop on northbound I-5 just before the Taft Highway exit.     About an hour later, witnesses say a K-9 was deployed and the suspect was pulled out of the vehicle and placed under arrest.    He was given medical aid at the scene.    Both southbound and northbound lanes were shut down during the standoff, but have since reopened.Controversy continues to surround the Kern Golden Empire Transit District's leadership...as discussions take place about the organization's future.    The Board named a new interim CEO yesterday ...following the sudden dismissal of its much-respected CEO... Michael Tree... just four months into his ne

Some of today's top stories17 News is your local election headquarters...    Supporters are rallying around vice president kamala harris as the favorite for the democratic presidential nomination.    And for the first time, president biden is speaking out about leaving the race and passing the torch as republicans pivot their focus.    Nbc's brie jackson is in washington.Meantime, there's breaking news from overnight.    Governor Gavin Newsom says he's not seeking the V-P role.    There has been speculation the governor might be considered to join this year's democratic ticket as the pick for vice president. Newsom's office released a statement saying, "From (Newsom's) perspective, he has the best job in the world. He looks forward to supporting VP Harris and whomever she picks as her running mate."With Vice President Kamala Harris on the cusp of a historic Democratic Nomination, local leaders representing our minority populations spoke to 17's Mikhala Armstrong about what this nomination could mean for them.

Some of today's top stories17 News is your local election headquarters...    Joe Biden has officially stepped down in the race for the white house...    Announcing yesterday that he will NOT seek reelection in November.    NBC's Brie Jackson is in Washington this morning with the very latest.While this new page in American history raised many eyebrows in Kern County...    Both parties say they're ready for the election in November.    17's Jenny Huh has the reaction from local political leaders.Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race has caused an aftermath of mixed opinions online. So has his endorsement of Kamala Harris as president. 17's Aleeya Fitzgerald has the reaction from our younger generation.Memes – those visual one-liners that populate the web, especially in reaction to major news events – started hitting Facebook, X and the rest – within minutes of Joe Biden's announcement.         17's Robert Price has been collecting what he could find.

Some of today's top storiesBreaking overnight... and right now..    Flights worldwide are grounded due to a global microsoft outage. An outage with microsoft causing massive problems at airports, banks and broadcasters all across the world.The disruptions are still ongoing hours after the technology company said it was quote, investigating an issue affecting access to microsoft 365 apps and services. According to microsoft 365's admin center - the outage started just before 3 p-m pacific time thursday.      The f-a-a says united, american, delta and allegiant flights have been grounded across the country.    Cyber security experts with "Crowdstrike" say this is not the result of a security breach or cyber attack.The f-a-a instructed air traffic controllers to inform  pilots of the communication issues.    Airlines are currently grounded worldwide..    The extent of the issue remains unclear...     At this time we do not know how long this will last.a police chase in east Bakersfield ended with one person dead

Some of today's top stories17 News is your local election headquarters...    It's the last day of the republican national convention in Milwaukee. Tonight, former president donald trump will take the stage to formally accept his party's nomination, just days after surviving an attempt on his life.    Last night republicans welcomed Ohio senator J-D vance to the national stage... For his first speech as the nominee for vice-president    NBC's Brie Jackson has more from Milwaukee.Meantime.. President Biden has tested positive for COVID-19.    The president had been in Las Vegas for a campaign event when he got that positive test.    The White House reporting Biden is vaccinated and boosted against the virus and he is experiencing mild symptoms.    Doctors gave him his first dose of Paxlovid.    And he is now headed back to his home in Delaware, where he will self-isolate and carry out his regular duties.All this comes after Southern California congressman Adam Schiff joined the list of democrats calling for Bid

Some of today's top stories17 News is your local election headquarters...    Republicans are working to unify their party and the country around former president trump.    Some of his rivals delivered speeches at the republican national convention urging americans to vote for trump this november.    Nbc's brie jackson has the latest this morning from milwaukeePresident Biden is shrinking former president Trump's lead among likely voters.    That's the word from a New York Time-Siena College Poll.    It shows Biden's popularity ticked up...with Mr. Trump holding a 46-percent to 45-percent edge.    That's an improvement from February....when Trump was polling at 48-percent.    About eight percent of voters still say they don't know who they're voting for this November.hundreds of county workers headed to the picket line yesterday morning to voice their concerns over the potential elimination of budgeted but vacant county positions.  There were hundreds of workers from different county jobs, including the roads

Some of today's top stories17 News is your local election headquarters...    It's official...    The delegates have weighed in and former president trump is now the gop nominee for president once again.    It happened during the first day of the republican national convention in milwaukee.    The day kicked off with a surprise announcement that u.S. Senator J-D Vance will be trump's running mate.    Nbc's Brie Jackson has the latest from Milwaukee.And while Valadao did NOT attend the convention... Representative Vince Fong of the 20th Congressional District was there.     Other CD-20 Kern delegates are former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy... state Sen. Shannon Grove and Kern GOP leader Cathy Abernathy.     For CD-22... Republican Stan Ellis... a former candidate for the 20th Congressional District... and Democrat Jesse Aguilar are attending from Kern.     The convention continues until Thursday... July 18. Meantime...     The florida judge overseeing donald trump's classified documents trial dismissed the case

Some of today's top storiesshock is still settling in after the assassination attempt on former President Trump. It was a routine rally that quickly turned into a defining moment in our nation's history. The harrowing moments captured on video and in pictures.    The former president's right ear grazed by a bullet -- causing blood to stream down his face.    And new from overnight -- in a joint interview with The New York Post and The Washington Examiner -- Trump gave his first interview since the assassination attempt.    The former president said, "I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be dead." All of this comes as the GOP gets ready to celebrate Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwuakee...and officially name him as the party's nominee.    Trump posted on social media saying he considered delaying his arrival to the convention, but did not want the shooter to change the scheduling.Opinions are divided on the impact this will have on America going forward. We spoke with some people aro

Some of today's top storiesLife on the streets is tough enough, but with triple digit temperatures, it's especially dangerous. But now, houses of worship are coming to the rescue, because the homeless usually die first in the heat. But, it's not just the homeless lining up outside Centro Cristiano Agape church shielding their skin with cardboard boxes. Good neighbors are out in the heat delivering boxes of food and cold drinks. Volunteer Dennis Rucker used to be homeless. Now, his mission is to help them any chance he gets. Shayna Hoover has been homeless since she was 12. Now, she's 28. She found sanctuary from the heat right across the street at St. Vincent De Paul. The church is open until 7pm during the heat wave. Operations manager Oscar Zubiran of St. Vincent De Paul said they provide safety, shelter, and showers and they have no restrictions, so, people who might have felt left out somewhere else, are welcome to come in.To find out how you can help the church continue its mission go to kget.com.Life on

Some of today's top storiesOnce again, today is going to be extremely hot.    This relentless heat wave has been bearing down on Kern County for more than a week now.    As folks everywhere try to keep their cool, some air conditioning systems are having a hard time keeping up.    17's Rob Hagan spent the day with workers who install a/c's as they're seeing a huge boom in service calls. The longest string of triple digit temperatures ever recorded lasted 101 days, in Yuma, Arizona during the dust bowl in 1937....    We are now in day ten of this heat wave... and many are wondering, when is it going to end?    Our hottest temperature so far has been 114 on July 7th and 8th. Andrew Hoell, a research meteorologist, says that a high pressure system or heat dome is the main cause of most intense heat waves...    And a high pressure system off the coast of California is basically making the San Joaquin Valley a pressure cooker.A Bakersfield police officer is being accused of using "unnecessary and unreasonable" for

Some of today's top storiesNow to a wildfire, that continues to burn in east Bakersfield at this hour.    According to the kern county fire department, the Breckenridge fire started around 4:15 yesterday afternoon near highway 178 off Ronnie Vista and Breckenridge Roads -- that's east of Rio Bravo.    Cal Fire says the fire continues to spread rapidly, and is now up to 400 acres of brush burned with no containment.    A helicopter and an air tanker are also helping in the firefight.    Cal Fire says it is also helping to construct control lines to keep the flames from destroying critical communication sites.Now to an update on a story we brought you last week..    M-B-2 entertainment, in central Bakersfield, is the focus of a lawsuit...after a young woman who was riding in a go-kart there says she was seriously hurt.    17's Mikhala Armstrong has the story. The controversial topic of parental notification was up for discussion again last night at the kern county board of education meeting. The policy, which w

Some of today's top storiesOur first responders worked tirelessly over the long Fourth of July holiday, balancing extreme heat and an uptick in the use of illegal fireworks. Firefighters responded to dozens of fires - with some believed to have been started by fireworks. According to Kern County firefighters, 4,126 illegal fireworks were reported, with 86% of them being from Bakersfield. The Bakersfield Fire Department saw 555 complaints and seized 5000 Pounds of fireworks on the Fourth of July leading to six felony arrests. The American Red Cross organization has helped nearly 30 people affected by home fires during the holiday. KCFD encourages residents to download the Genasys Protect app to remain alerted to emergencies nearby. A person is under arrest this morning on suspicion of starting a fire in southeast Bakersfield.    The fire started just before two p.m. yesterday in the 25-hundred block of south union avenue.    Investigators say the fire began in vegetation, but spread to a nearby structure.    N

Some of today's top storiesKern County search and rescue teams have been patrolling the Kern River in East Bakersfield after reports of a person in the water.    Search and rescue teams deployed yesterday morning at the Kern River Campground at Lake Ming.    17's Rob Hagan has the latest.Firefighters raced to the call of a 2-alarm dirty fire yesterday afternoon in West Bakersfield.    Check out this drone video.    This happened on Brimhall Road just before 1 p-m for burning brush that quickly spread to a structure and horse corrals.    No animals were injured in the fire.    The fire was put out before spreading to any nearby structures or equipment.    Firefighters warn home and business owners to create a defensible space around your property to mitigate fire danger during intense heat.    The combination of hot temperatures, low humidity, and dry fuels create the perfect ingredients for a fire to start.Temperatures are soaring across the central valley as this excessive heat warning continues.    And ever

Some of today's top storiesDeputies were on scene of a standoff in northwest Bakersfield.    This was the scene on Batch Lane.    It is not clear what led up to this...    A man was seen being taken into custody...    Witnesses on scene say a woman was also taken into custody.    We have contacted the Kern County Sheriff's Office... but have not heard back.a man is dead this morning and the driver who hit him, is accused of driving under the influence.  It happened just after 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Oak and 24th Streets.    Police say the man was in the center divider of the road when a vehicle turning onto 24th street from Oak street ran over the divider...    Hitting the man and four other vehicles.    The man was pronounced dead at the scene...    Another driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.    The driver was arrested for DUI and was booked into the Kern County Jail.    The investigation into this crash is ongoing.And an east Bakersfield home goes up in flames.    This is was the

Some of today's top storiesThese triple-digit temperatures can come with a death sentence...if exposed to the dangerous elements too long.    And usually... the homeless who die first.    17's Rob Hagan has more on how local shelters are helping our most vulnerable populationThis heat is so intense across the state...it's possible we could see the hottest temperatures ever recorded on earth.    The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 130 degrees for portions of Death Valley on Sunday.    That's just four degrees from the world record.    The hottest day ever recorded on earth was July 10, 1913.    That's when the mercury hit 134 degrees.    The last time it was this hot in Death Valley was in 2020 and 2021.The so-called "Orchard Fire" started around the hottest part of the day on Willow Springs Road, sending big clouds of smoke into the sky.    Fire crews were concerned about the fire...and told people in the surrounding area to quickly leave.    Firefighters responded to the threat with force..