LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. >> Authorities say a new wildfire has burned 50 to 60 homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate from rural communities in Central California northeast of Bakersfield.

The Kern County Fire Department gave the estimate of homes lost shortly after the blaze broke out near Lake Isabella late Thursday afternoon. It has burned about 2,000 acres and about 1,000 homes are under threat.

Authorities say the small rural communities of Squirrel Mountain Valley, South Fork, Weldon, Onyx, Lakeland Estates, Yankee Canyon and Mountain Mesa are also under evacuation orders.

There are also power and cell phone outages in the area.