Update: 60% containment reached for Priest Fire in Tuolumne County

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Updated: 8:45 a.m. July 7

First discovered: 18 hours ago, 2:25 p.m. July 6

Initial location: Old Priest Grade and Highway 120, Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Priest Fire

Priest Fire initially started 2:25 p.m. July 6 at Old Priest Grade and Highway 120, Big Oak Flat in Tuolumne County, California.

As of Tuesday morning, it had ravaged 9.5 acres. By Tuesday morning, 60% of the fire was brought under containment. At present, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

This is what 60% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 60% of the wildfire is halted 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 7, 2026 at 12:55 PM.