Update: Mathews Fire in Shasta County containment now reaches 100%

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Updated: 7:19 a.m. July 2

First discovered: 43 hours ago, 11:42 a.m. June 30

Initial location: Matthews Lane and Bear Mountain Road, Redding, Shasta County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Shasta-Trinity Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Mathews Fire

Mathews Fire initially started 11:42 a.m. June 30 at Matthews Lane and Bear Mountain Road, Redding in Shasta County, California.

After being active for 43 hours, it has burned 31.2 acres. By Thursday morning, a fire crew of 25 successfully contained the entire fire. The cause of it remains under investigation.

The fire has been fought by two engines, one water tender and one hand crew. 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-ShastaLake1

Fire containment

What does 100% containment mean?

Note that full containment doesn't mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that firefighters have managed to get a line completely around the wildfire's perimeter and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread.

However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it. Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can't spread or cross the containment line.

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 2, 2026 at 7:44 AM.