Updates on California wildfires.
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Updated: 7:45 a.m. July 19
First discovered: 27 hours ago, 3:59 a.m. July 18
Initial location: Sapphire Road, south of Buenos Aires Road, San Bernardino County, Calif.
Fire unit: Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Sapphire Fire
Sapphire Fire initially started 3:59 a.m. July 18 on Sapphire Road, south of Buenos Aires Road in San Bernardino County, California.
By Sunday morning, 19 acres of land had been consumed by it. As of Sunday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 80% of this fire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.
Fire containment
Understanding what 80% containment means
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 80% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 20% is still uncontrolled.
Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. It is normally expressed as a percentage and it refers to how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded/enclosed by a control line that firefighters create. The containment percentage indicates a certain level of control, but it doesn’t always correlate to safety level. Also, it’s important to note that containment doesn’t mean a fire is out.
How is containment measured?
The incident’s central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground. As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage. The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
Source: Cal Fire
United Robots Sacramento
This story was originally published July 19, 2026 at 8:13 AM.