Update: Acres burned in Kern County grows to 120 acres, Cotton Fire hits 27% containment

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Updated: 4:19 p.m. July 17

First discovered: 30 hours ago, 9:32 a.m. July 16

Initial location: Antelope Road and Highway 41, Shandon, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Kern County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Cotton Fire

Cotton Fire initially started 9:32 a.m. July 16 at Antelope Road and Highway 41, Shandon in Kern County, California.

As of Friday afternoon, it had burned 120 acres, an increase of 40 acres since the last update. By Friday afternoon, the fire crew effectively contained 27% 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 27% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 27% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 73% 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 17, 2026 at 4:32 PM.