The Bull Fire, which began July 26th, 2010, has overtaken a popular mountain biking trail near the town of Kernville, CA and destroyed 16,074 acres of brush and pine trees with only 12% containment.

The nearby Cannell Trail (Forest Route 22S19) begins over 20 miles away where it intersects Sherman Pass Rd (Forest Route 22S05). As it descends back to Kernville, it passes through pristine pine forests and giant grassy meadows that are now at risk of complete devastation. The final 5 miles of the trail, known to mountain bikers as the “Cannell Plunge” drops a full 5,000′ of elevation into Kernville, making it one of the steepest and most popular cross country mountain biking rides in Southern California.

The Mountain & Rivers Adventures tour company in Kernville, which offers river rafting, kayaking, climbing, hiking and mountain biking adventures, has been posting frequent updates on their Facebook page. As of Wednesday, they reported that their team is okay and that thanks to the work of fire crews, only a small portion of their campground burned.

Map of the Bull Fire Perimeter and the Cannell Trail:

View Larger Map

Red line: Bull Fire Perimeter as of 07/28/2010
Blue line: Cannell Trail

Latest News from InciWeb about the Bull Fire:

• July 29, 2010: Bull Fire Evening Update (Bull Wildfire)
  July 28,2010 6:00 p.m.Location: Kern River Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest, CaliforniaDate of Fire Containment: 12 Percent Start: July 26, 2010 Cause: Human Caused, Under Investigation Size: 15,982 Acres Containment: 12 Percent Management: Unified Command: California Interagency Incident Management Team 4and Kern County Fire DepartmentCooperating Agencies: Bureau of Land Management, California Highway Patrol,Kern County Sheriff, Tulare County SheriffFire Status: The fire continues to burn in grass and brush on both sides of the Kern River, north of Kernville. Fire growth today was minimal. Residents of Riverkern were allowed back into their homes this morning due to the reduced threat from the fire. Fire personnel will continue to work within the residential areas to ensure any remaining hot spots are extinguished. Today's Actions: Today, fire activity was significantly quieter than yesterday, allowing crews to make excellent progress constructing fire line directly...