Bakersfield Daily Brief: Friday, September 25, 2026

Good morning, Bakersfield, and happy Friday, September 25. Fire crews carried the night, knocking down a garage fire off C Street in southeast Bakersfield and a vacant double-wide trailer in a Rosamond mobile home park, both before dawn. Today brings a high near 91, a mild 66 degrees right now at Meadows Field, no weather alerts anywhere in the county, and moderate air quality at 64.

The Kern Overnight

The garage fire came in at 2:21 a.m., when dispatchers sent a reinforced structure assignment to the 2200 block of C Street, across from a home there, after multiple callers reported fire on the same block. The first response included four engines, two truck companies, a rescue and two battalions. Crews held the address until a unit cleared the scene shortly after 3 a.m.

Up in Rosamond, crews were sent to a mobile home park on Rosamond Boulevard at 1:37 a.m. for several reports of a trailer on fire. The first medic squad on scene found a fully involved double-wide at the back of the park with no exposures — a vacant trailer that had been left outside the park on a graded lot. Crews knocked it down with the first tank of water and kept units on hand for water supply; a county engine and battalion added to the call were cancelled once things were under control.

Just before midnight, smoke brought a city and county battalion to the former Family Dollar building at Niles Street and Mount Vernon Avenue at 11:46 p.m. Crews found heavy smoke, and by 11:56 p.m. dispatchers confirmed primary and secondary searches were complete and the building was clear. Earlier, at 10:39 p.m., an engine responding to smoke near the freeway found a grass fire along the on-ramp from Highway 58 to Highway 99, then checked behind a nearby discount store and found nothing burning there.

At 12:59 a.m., an engine and an ambulance were sent to the gate of Kern Valley State Prison in Delano for a reported overdose, with the ambulance asked to stage in case transport was needed. On the police side, officers ran to disturbances — including a fight between two siblings — suspicious-person reports, a shots-heard call that put a description of a dark pickup leaving eastbound out to units, and a domestic violence report relayed from a hotel. There was also medical aid in the 300 block of Kentucky Street. Police traffic thinned out after 3 a.m.

Today's weather

Expect a high near 91 today and a low around 65 tonight, so it's a warm one with a comfortable finish. It's currently 66 degrees at Meadows Field. There are no active weather alerts for Kern County, and nothing active on the fire front in what we're tracking this morning. Air quality is 64 — the moderate range, which is where most of us go about our day without thinking twice about it, though it's worth keeping in mind if you're planning a long run or a long shift outdoors.

Top stories

23ABC reports that professional soccer player Gyasi Zardes drew dozens of fans to Sportsplex Bakersfield for a meet-and-greet, with some supporters lining up as early as 6 p.m. Zardes, who played for Cal State Bakersfield's men's team from 2009 to 2012 and went on to the U.S. Men's National Team, toured the facility and signed autographs. The Rangel family was among the first in line: Benjamin Rangel, two years into playing soccer himself, said it was his first time meeting a pro. His mother, Cassandra, said it matters that Zardes came from the same town. Zardes told 23ABC he was speechless that kids had waited for him, and said he'd take his time with families because "one conversation can change a kid's life."

KGET 17 reports that candidates for Kern County Board of Education Trustee Area 3 gathered on a debate stage for a wide-ranging conversation. The station also posted video of the debate for voters who want to watch it in full. That's the extent of what we have on the exchange this morning, so we'll leave it there rather than guess at what was said.

Bakersfield Now reports that northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Gorman have reopened after a semi-truck jackknifed. That headline is all the detail we have right now, but for anyone heading south over the Grapevine today, it's the answer to the question you'd have been asking.

According to 23ABC, Delano voters heard from two city council challengers Thursday at a candidate forum at the De Vino Event Center. Local realtor Elizabeth Arteaga Gonzalez said affordable housing is personal to her and wants the city to bring back a grant program that helped first-time homebuyers with down payments, so families can stay and thrive in Delano. Carlton M. Lennon, who has run for the seat before, said he doesn't think the city is maximizing its potential and wants to attract businesses and keep professionals who work in Delano spending there, pointing to sales tax as the payoff. Incumbents Liz Morris and Mario Nunez, both seeking another term, didn't appear in person; Nunez said in a written statement that he wasn't able to attend. The forum was moderated by 23ABC Delano Neighborhood Reporter Ruby Rivera.

Bakersfield Now reports, in a headline, that Bakersfield police say a child was hurt in a wreck, with a truck passenger in custody and the driver still at large. We don't have anything beyond that headline this morning — no location, no condition, no names — and we won't fill in the blanks.

Something good

Nina Ha calls herself just another mother in Bakersfield, but the kids in this town know her as something else entirely. She started volunteering at her children's schools to read aloud, and one day, on a whim, she showed up dressed as Wonder Woman. The class loved it, and the invitations followed — Celebrity Reader Day, Read Across America, Career Day — and she's been doing it ever since.

Ha moved here more than three decades ago to start a family and found her community in the Bakersfield Chinese Women's Club, a group she says has been running for more than 75 years. Its biggest fundraiser is an annual Christmas dinner that raises thousands of dollars for hard-working high school students headed to college. Local restaurants have pitched in too — Ha said China Bistro has donated thousands of dollars in profits to support the club's fundraisers and student tuition. The costume is the fun part; the fund is the point.

Coming up this week

The city's Laws and Legislation Committee meets today, Friday, September 25, at noon — a good one to watch if you follow how local rules get shaped before they reach the full council. Then the Planning Commission takes up its agenda on Thursday, October 1, at 5:30 p.m., which is where land-use and development questions in Bakersfield usually get their first real public airing.

At the Fox Theater, the calendar fills up fast after this weekend. Mike Sherm takes the stage Saturday, September 26. The Cults & Classics series continues with Young Frankenstein on Monday, October 5, part of a season pass that runs through the 2026–2027 lineup and has already been underway since late August. NB Ridaz brings the "Ride Till the Wheels Fall Off" tour to the Fox on Friday, October 9, followed by Fantasias on Saturday, October 10, and United We Dance — billed as festival energy, all night — on Friday, October 16. Tickets for the October shows are worth checking sooner rather than later if you've been meaning to go.

Enjoy the Friday, and stay cool out there this afternoon — 91 is nothing we haven't handled before, but it's still 91.