Woman is severely hurt in bear attack

A bear attacked and seriously injured a woman hiking with two dogs Tuesday in the Walker Basin area east of Bakersfield.

The woman, who suffered severe cuts to her face and head in the 10 a.m. attack, drove herself to a fire station about four miles away for help, said Kern County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Whors.

She was airlifted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where her condition was not immediately available, said Harry Morse, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game, which is investigating the attack. Morse did not know whether the dogs were injured.

Fish and Game wardens were dispatched to the remote hiking area to track and destroy the bear, which is considered a public safety hazard, Morse said.

The area near the town of Piute was hit this month by a wildfire that burned 30,000 acres.