Update: Tracy Fire spreads to 15 acres in San Joaquin County, now 80% contained

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Updated: 5:05 p.m. May 12

First discovered: 3:33 p.m. May 12

Initial location: E I580 and Tracy Blvd, Tracy, San Joaquin County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Tracy Fire

Tracy Fire initially started today at 3:33 p.m. at E I580 and Tracy Blvd, Tracy in San Joaquin County, California.

By Tuesday evening, a crew of eleven firefighters succeeded in containing 80% of the fire. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

Two engines and one dozer will continue to battle the fire. 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-Oso

Fire containment

Interpreting what 80% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 80% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 20% 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 May 12, 2026 at 4:04 PM.