Update: Brite Fire in Kern County at 20% containment

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Updated: 6:46 p.m. May 9

First discovered: 2 hours ago, 4:02 p.m. May 9

Initial location: Elk Hills Rd and Brite Rd, Buttonwillow, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Kern County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Brite Fire

Brite Fire initially started today at 4:02 p.m. at Elk Hills Rd and Brite Rd, Buttonwillow in Kern County, California.

It has burned 665.4 acres after being active for two hours. As of Saturday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 20% of this wildfire. However, the cause is still under investigation.

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-McKittrickNorth

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 20% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 20% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 80% 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 May 9, 2026 at 2:52 PM.