Update: Wood Fire spreads to 294 acres in Kern County, now 20% contained

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Updated: 8:07 p.m. May 18

First discovered: 11 hours ago, 8:37 a.m. May 18

Initial location: North of Hwy 223 and Hwy 58, West of Tehachapi, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Kern County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Wood Fire

Wood Fire initially started today at 8:37 a.m. at North of Hwy 223 and Hwy 58, West of Tehachapi in Kern County, California.

After being active for 11 hours, it has burned 294 acres, an increase of seven acres since the last update. As of Monday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 20% of this wildfire. The cause is, however, still being investigated.

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-BreckenridgePeak2

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 halted 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

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM.