Update: Kearney Fire in Nevada County remains at 80% containment as of Wednesday evening

The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom. Read more on our AI policy here.

Updated: 6:56 p.m. July 15

First discovered: 26 hours ago, 4:42 p.m. July 14

Initial location: Kearney Court and Wild Turkey Lane, 1 mile East of Smartsville, Nevada County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Nevada Yuba Placer Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Kearney Fire

Kearney Fire initially started 4:42 p.m. July 14 at Kearney Court and Wild Turkey Lane, 1 mile East of Smartsville in Nevada County, California.

By Wednesday evening, 41 acres of land had been consumed by it. By Wednesday evening, the fire crew managed to contain 80% of this fire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 80% contained?

The percentage indicates how much 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

United Robots Sacramento

This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 2:16 AM.