Update: Vista Fire in Riverside County at 25% containment

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Updated: 9:13 p.m. April 17

First discovered: 4 hours ago, 4:24 p.m. April 17

Initial location: El Torro Road, North of Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Vista Fire

Vista Fire initially started today at 4:24 p.m. on El Torro Road, North of Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California.

It has burned 141 acres after being active for four hours. As of Friday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 25% of this fire. The cause of it is still under investigation.

See live video from the area:

Https://ops.alertcalifornia.org/cam-console/Axis-Elsinore2

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 25% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 25% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 75% 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 April 17, 2026 at 5:15 PM.