Update: Acres burned in Monterey County grows to 120 acres, Pine Fire hits 30% containment

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Updated: 2:22 p.m. April 28

First discovered: 2 hours ago, 11:59 a.m. April 28

Initial location: Highway 198 & Pine Valley Road, San Lucas, Monterey County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire San Benito-Monterey Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Pine Fire

Pine Fire initially started today at 11:59 a.m. at Highway 198 & Pine Valley Road, San Lucas in Monterey County, California.

After being active for two hours, it has burned 120 acres, an increase of 70 acres since the last update. A crew of 44 firefighters succeeded in containing 30% of the fire as of Tuesday afternoon. However, the cause is still under investigation.

The firefighting efforts involve five engines, one water tender, one helicopter, two dozers and one hand crew. According to Cal Fire, "Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow."

See live video from the area:

Https://ops.alertcalifornia.org/cam-console/Axis-SanBenitoMtn2

Fire containment

Interpreting what 30% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 30% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 70% 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 April 28, 2026 at 12:25 PM.