Updated: 10:45 p.m. Aug. 24

First discovered: 4 hours ago, 6:09 p.m. Aug. 24

Initial location: Willow Creek Road and 5th East Avenue, Montague, Siskiyou County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Siskiyou Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: York Fire

York Fire initially started today at 6:09 p.m. in Siskiyou County, California.

After being active for four hours, it has burned 85 acres. A fire crew of 40 succeeded in containing 95% of the fire by Sunday evening. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

Three engines, one water tender, two dozers and two hand crews will continue to combat the blaze. 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 95% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 95% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 5% 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