The Sorrento Fire in San Diego County reached 95% containment at 138 acres on August 23, 2026. Crews continued monitoring the burn area as the wildfire approached full containment, according to CAL FIRE's August 23 update. Containment measures how much of a fire's perimeter crews have secured, not whether every spot inside has stopped burning. The fire reached 100% containment on September 1.
Table of Contents
- Where and when did the fire start?
- How quickly did containment increase?
- What happened to evacuation orders?
- Which agency managed the response?
- When was the fire fully contained?
Where and when did the fire start?
The wildfire began at 3:15 p.m. on August 16 near Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road.
It grew from 10 acres to more than 130 acres that afternoon. Firefighters stopped its forward spread by 6:59 p.m. Stopping forward spread meant the perimeter was no longer actively expanding, but crews still needed to strengthen containment lines and monitor the burned area.
How quickly did containment increase?
Containment rose from 25% on August 16 to 60% on August 17. It reached 75% on August 18, 91% on August 19 and 95% on August 23, as recorded in CAL FIRE's incident updates.
The gradual increase explains why work continued after the immediate threat eased. A high containment percentage can still leave sections of the perimeter requiring patrol, reinforcement or monitoring.
What happened to evacuation orders?
Officials issued evacuation orders and warnings because the fire threatened structures. A temporary evacuation point opened at Mandell Weiss-Eastgate City Park, according to AlertSanDiego's incident notice.
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Residential evacuation orders and warnings were lifted on August 16. Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve remained closed, however, and road closures continued after residents were allowed to return. That distinction matters: lifting a residential evacuation does not automatically reopen nearby roads, trails or public land.
Which agency managed the response?
San Diego Fire-Rescue had jurisdiction over the fire. CAL FIRE classified it as a non-CAL FIRE incident but supported the response with aircraft, bulldozers and other resources.
The jurisdiction designation identifies the agency responsible for managing the incident. It does not mean other agencies were absent from the response.
When was the fire fully contained?
The Sorrento Fire reached 100% containment on September 1. At that point, the final recorded fire size remained 138 acres.
Parts of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve stayed closed because hazardous trees continued to pose a safety risk, according to CAL FIRE's final incident information. Residents and visitors therefore needed to distinguish full fire containment from full public access.
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