Update: Full containment now attained for Palomar Fire in Riverside County

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Updated: 10:07 a.m. April 18

First discovered: 20 hours ago, 1:16 p.m. April 17

Initial location: Palomar Street, Wildomar, Riverside County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Palomar Fire

Palomar Fire initially started 1:16 p.m. April 17 on Palomar Street, Wildomar in Riverside County, California.

Since its discovery 20 hours ago, it has burned 11 acres. The fire crew managed to contain the fire entirely by Saturday morning. 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 whole perimeter of the wildfire has been surrounded 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 April 18, 2026 at 10:24 AM.