Update: Brook Fire grows to 501.5 acres in Shasta County, containment still at 15%

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Updated: 11:37 a.m. July 19

First discovered: 47 hours ago, 12:11 p.m. July 17

Initial location: Elk Trail and Highline Trail Bella Vista, Shasta County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Shasta-Trinity Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Brook Fire

Brook Fire initially started 12:11 p.m. July 17 at Elk Trail and Highline Trail Bella Vista in Shasta County, California.

By Sunday noon, it had consumed 501.5 acres, an increase of 92 acres since the last update. As of Sunday noon, the fire crew effectively contained 15% of this wildfire. At this time, there is no information available on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 15% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 15% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 85% 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 19, 2026 at 12:48 AM.