Update: Elephant Fire in Sierra County grows to 12,303 acres, remains 5% contained

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Updated: 2:12 p.m. July 13

First discovered: 47 hours ago, 2:58 p.m. July 11

Initial location: North of Loyalton and Highway 49, Loyalton, Sierra County, Calif.

Fire unit: Tahoe National Forest

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Elephant Fire

Elephant Fire initially started 2:58 p.m. July 11 north of North of Loyalton and Highway 49, Loyalton in Sierra County, California.

By Monday afternoon, it had consumed 12,303 acres, an increase of 5,867 acres since the last update. As of Monday afternoon, the fire crew succeeded in containing 5% of the wildfire. At present, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

This is what 5% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 5% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 95% 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

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 2:28 PM.