Rankin Ranch sees relief as Borel Fire stalls

KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KGET) — While many in the Walker Basin area have evacuated, those who live on Rankin Ranch decided to stay and protect their home.

It was a much different scene at the Borel Fire on Monday, opposite the scenes of flames and heavy smoke on Sunday.

On Monday, it’s died down and the atmosphere is much calmer, and that’s provided a sense of relief at Rankin Ranch.

At least for now.

“Today is a much better day than yesterday,” Amanda Rankin Barrett, who lives and works on the ranch, said.

The Rankin family gathered and told stories and shared laughs. Perhaps the first bit of normalcy they’ve had since Friday.

They’ve taken all sentimentals and placed them back inside — still in boxes, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“Today we’re taking a little sigh of relief,” Amanda Rankin Barrett said. “Last night I know we all slept a little bit which was important.”

“It’s a lot better today,” Bill Rankin said. He also praised firefighters’ efforts and says teamwork has been important in helping to mitigate the spread thus far.

“They do a wonderful job. And we have to respect the abilities they bring to us, and what we bring to them is knowledge of the ground on our ranch,” Bill Rankin says. “So we have to work as a team.”

Despite the efforts made so far, the fight is still far from over.

“You have to have a healthy respect for fire,” Amanda Rankin Barrett said. It’s a powerful thing … yes, it looks better, but we’re not totally out of the woods.”

However, Monday was a step in the right direction, and the Rankins finally get their chance to rest easy for a moment and await the next course of action.

“In 160 years, our family has faced a tremendous amount of adversity,” Amanda Rankin Barrett said. “If it flares back up, we’ll be ready to fight again.”

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