Update: Rocky Hill Fire in Tulare County containment now reaches 100%

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Updated: 9:22 a.m. May 18

First discovered: 14 hours ago, 7:10 p.m. May 17

Initial location: Near Highway 190 and Blue Heron Parkway, Porterville, Tulare County, Calif.

Fire unit: Tulare County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Rocky Hill

Rocky Hill Fire initially started 7:10 p.m. May 17 at Near Highway 190 and Blue Heron Parkway, Porterville in Tulare County, California.

After being active for 14 hours, it has burned 160 acres, an increase of 40 acres since the last update. By Monday morning, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

Fire containment

What does 100% containment mean?

Note that full containment doesn't mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that the wildfire has been fully enclosed by a control line and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread.

However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it. Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can't spread or cross the containment line.

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

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 9:49 AM.