Update: Mateo Fire in San Diego County - containment reaches 40%

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Updated: 6:31 a.m. June 17

First discovered: 40 hours ago, 1:52 p.m. June 15

Initial location: Mateo Canyon, Camp Pendleton North, San Diego County, Calif.

Fire unit: Unified Command: Camp Pendleton Fire Department and Cleveland National Forest

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Mateo Fire

Mateo Fire initially started 1:52 p.m. June 15 in Mateo Canyon, Camp Pendleton North in San Diego County, California.

Since its discovery 40 hours ago, it has burned 1,183 acres. As of Wednesday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 40% of this fire. However, the cause is still under investigation.

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-SanClementeNorth

Fire containment

Interpreting what 40% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 40% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 60% 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 June 17, 2026 at 6:52 AM.