Update: Containment of Lost Fire in Kern County progresses to 72%

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Updated: 6:17 a.m. June 21

First discovered: 3 days ago, 10:03 a.m. June 18

Initial location: 4 miles northwest of Lokern Road & Lost Hills Road, 35 miles west of Bakersfield, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Unified Command: Kern County Fire & Bureau of Land Management

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Lost Fire

Lost Fire initially started 10:03 a.m. June 18 of 4 miles northwest of Lokern Road & Lost Hills Road, 35 miles west of Bakersfield in Kern County, California.

Since its discovery three days ago, it has burned 7,834 acres. By Sunday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 72% of this fire. Investigations into its cause are still ongoing.

See live video from the area:

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

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 72% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 72% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 28% 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 21, 2026 at 6:44 AM.