Update: Landfill Fire expands to 29 acres in Merced County, now 50% contained
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Updated: 7:06 p.m. May 18
First discovered: 4 hours ago, 2:30 p.m. May 18
Initial location: N Highway 59, South of the Landfill, Winton, Merced County, Calif.
Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Landfill Fire
Landfill Fire initially started today at 2:30 p.m. on N Highway 59, South of the Landfill, Winton in Merced County, California.
After being active for four hours, it has burned 29 acres, an increase of nine acres since the last update. A fire crew of 17 succeeded in containing 50% of the fire by Monday evening. The cause of it is still under investigation.
Four engines and two water tenders 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."
Fire containment
What does it mean for a fire to be 50% contained?
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 50% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 50% 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 18, 2026 at 3:41 PM.