Update: Van Fire in Mariposa County still at 60% containment as of Thursday morning

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Updated: 7:18 a.m. July 9

First discovered: 16 hours ago, 2:29 p.m. July 8

Initial location: of White Rock Road, Cathey's Valley, Mariposa County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Merced-Mariposa Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Van Fire

Van Fire initially started 2:29 p.m. July 8 on of White Rock Road, Cathey's Valley in Mariposa County, California.

By Thursday morning, it had scorched 1,107.8 acres. As of Thursday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 60% of this wildfire. At present, there is no information available on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

This is what 60% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 60% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 40% 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 July 9, 2026 at 6:22 AM.