Updates on California wildfires.
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Updated: 12:10 p.m. Oct. 2
First discovered: 49 hours ago, 10:54 a.m. Sep. 30
Initial location: Clay East Road, Herald, Sacramento County, Calif.
Fire unit: Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Clay Fire
Clay Fire initially started at 10:54 a.m. Sep. 30 of Clay East Road, Herald in Sacramento County, California.
As of Friday noon, 15.9 acres of land had been consumed by it. By Friday noon, 98% of this fire was brought under containment. Currently, there are no details on the cause of the fire.
Fire containment
Understanding what 98% containment means
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 98% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 2% 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 October 2, 2026 at 12:25 PM.