Update: Acres burned in Merced County grows to 220, Santa Fire now 10% contained

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Updated: 8:16 p.m. May 19

First discovered: 3 hours ago, 4:47 p.m. May 19

Initial location: Seast of Hwy 152 near Dinosaur Pt. Road, San Luis Reservoir, Merced County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Santa Fire

Santa Fire initially started today at 4:47 p.m. near Seast of Hwy 152 near Dinosaur Pt. Road, San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, California.

After being active for three hours, it has burned 220 acres, an increase of 170 acres since the last update. A fire crew of 76 succeeded in containing 10% of the fire by Tuesday evening. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

Firefighting efforts include 10 engines, three water tenders, three helicopters, one dozer and two hand crews. 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://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-SanLuisReservoir1

Fire containment

Interpreting what 10% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 10% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 90% 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 19, 2026 at 4:09 PM.