Update: 72 Fire in Riverside County remains at 50% containment by Monday midnight
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Updated: 12:23 a.m. June 15
First discovered: 9 hours ago, 2:44 p.m. June 14
Initial location: Avenue 72 and Buchanan Street, Thermal, Riverside County, Calif.
Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: 72 Fire
72 Fire initially started 2:44 p.m. June 14 at Avenue 72 and Buchanan Street, Thermal in Riverside County, California.
Since its discovery nine hours ago, it has burned 80 acres. A crew of 85 firefighters succeeded in containing 50% of the fire as of Monday midnight. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.
The firefighting efforts involve 25 engines, three water tenders and one dozer. 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-ToroPeak2
Fire containment
What does it mean for a fire to be 50% contained?
Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 50% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 50% 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 June 15, 2026 at 12:51 AM.