Fatal Second-Alarm Commercial Structure Fire In Central Bakersfield

February 9, 2026 At approximately 1:48 a.m., the Bakersfield Fire Department, with assistance from the Kern County Fire Department, was dispatched at the request of the Bakersfield Police Department for reports of a working structure fire at a vacant commercial strip near 22nd Street and F Street in central Bakersfield. Station 1 arrived on scene and confirmed a working structure fire inside the commercial building. Due to fire exposure threatening adjacent structures to the north, the incident was upgraded to a second-alarm fire. During primary search operations, Engine 2 located an unresponsive individual inside one of the buildings. Fire crews immediately initiated CPR for over 30 minutes; however, the individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Bakersfield Police Department and the Bakersfield Fire Department Arson Units are currently investigating the cause of the fire. — Bakersfield Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Lencioni