Breaking: Hills Fire in Madera County - 10% contained

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First discovered: 2 hours ago, 3:14 p.m. June 18

Initial location: Avenue 11 and Business 41, Rolling Hills, Madera County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Hills Fire

A new wildfire was reported today at 3:14 p.m. at Avenue 11 and Business 41, Rolling Hills in Madera County, California.

Hills Fire has burned 35 acres after being active for two hours. A fire crew of 25 has been working on site and, as of Thursday evening, they managed to contain 10% of the fire. The cause of it is still under investigation.

Eight engines and two water tenders will continue to combat the blaze. According to Cal Fire, "Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow."

Fire containment

Interpreting what 10% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 10% of the wildfire is contained 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 June 18, 2026 at 6:59 PM.