Updates on California wildfires.
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Updated: 6:42 p.m. Aug. 26
First discovered: 10 days ago, 3:15 p.m. Aug. 16
Initial location: Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego County, Calif.
Fire unit: San Diego Fire & Rescue
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Sorrento Fire
Sorrento Fire initially started at 3:15 p.m. Aug. 16 at Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road in San Diego County, California.
As of Wednesday evening, 138 acres of land had been destroyed by it. By Wednesday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 95% of this fire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.
Fire containment
What does it mean for a fire to be 95% contained?
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 95% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 5% 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 August 26, 2026 at 6:54 PM.