Alpaugh Fire in California's Tulare County Surges to 3,600 Acres in Hours, Ends at 2,664 Acres Fully Contained
At 2:40 p.m. on August 19, 2026, a wildfire broke out near Avenue 42 and Road 38 in Alpaugh, in Tulare County, California, and was named the Alpaugh Fire. According to CAL FIRE's incident page, it grew rapidly within hours: 100 acres at 2:48 p.m., 500 acres at 3:37 p.m., and 3,600 acres with zero containment at 7:27 p.m.
Tulare County issued evacuation warnings for zones including TLC-E275 and TLC-E298, later expanded to TLC-E275-A and TLC-E275-B. The fire was in unified command of the Tulare County Fire Department and the Bureau of Land Management's Central California District, with CAL FIRE ground and air resources assigned.
All evacuation warnings and orders were lifted on August 20, and containment reached 30% on August 21. An August 23 update said better mapping reduced the Alpaugh Fire to 2,664 acres, and it was 100% contained. The cause remained under investigation.
Source: CAL FIRE
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：主管土地管理局（BLM）的美国内政部总部大楼（资料图）。（GSM固定图库） / Photo: U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters, home department of the Bureau of Land Management (file photo). (GSM asset library)
