Updated: 8:37 a.m. Aug. 26

First discovered: 11 months ago, 8:51 a.m. Oct. 2

Initial location: Stanislaus National Forest, Tuolumne County, Calif.

Fire unit: Stanislaus National Forest

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Peak Fire

Peak Fire initially started 8:51 a.m. Oct. 2 in Tuolumne County, California.

Since its discovery eleven months ago, it has burned 316 acres. By Tuesday morning, a crew of 81 firefighters successfully contained the entire fire. The cause of it is still under investigation.

Fuels involved in this wildfire, according to InciWeb: “Timber.”

More reports from InciWeb:

• Incident overview:

“CURRENT SITUATION: We have now reached 100% containment on the Peak Fire. Firefighters are transitioning into suppression repair, while remaining diligent on patrol looking for any hot spots. Crews will continue mopping up on the interior of the burned area, adding water on any smoldering stump holes, and down trees whenever it is safe to do so. Weakened trees and snags continue to be a concern for firefighter safety. We greatly appreciate the public’s help and understanding by abiding by the Forest Order Closure. On October 11th the Forest Order went into effect restricting access into the Herring Creek, Hammill Canyon Loop. Active fire and hazardous standing trees, and their proximity to roads and trails are clear indicators that the fire area is dangerous. Our number one priority is for firefighter and public safety. FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Forest Order No. STF-16-2024-11, Stanislaus National Forest, Peak Fire Closure. This Order is effective from October 11, 2024, through December 5, 2024, within the National Forest System lands, roads, and trails. The Order is necessary to ensure that firefighting efforts continue unimpeded and to protect the public from the hazards associated with actively burning fire behavior, or until replaced or rescinded. PEAK FIRE INFORMATION PHONE LINE NUMBER IS: 209-459-9236Fire Resources include: 4 engines, 2 water tenders, 3 hand crews, 1 Type 2 Helicopter. Public Information Contacts:Kimberly Peterson – kimberly.peterson@usda.govEugenie Moore- eugenie.moore@usda.govSally Smith – sally.j.smith@usda.gov.”

• Weather concerns:

“WEATHER: Near normal temperatures with light winds, and dry weather are expected to persist through early this week. The next system will bring cooler temperatures and a chance of light precipitation by midweek, with breezy to gusty northly winds and elevate to critical fire weather concerns by the end of the week.”

• Significant events:

“Peak Fire Update Oct. 15.jpg Thu, 10/17/2024 – 17:52 Peak Fire Update Oct. 15.jpg Peak Fire Update Oct. 14 final (002).jpg Mon, 10/14/2024 – 14:27 Peak Fire Update Oct. 14 final (002).jpg Peak Fire Update Oct. 13 final.jpg Sun, 10/13/2024 – 14:56 Peak Fire Update Oct. 13 final.jpg Peak Fire News Release October 12, 2024 Sat, 10/12/2024 – 15:18 Peak Fire News Release October 12, 2024 Peak Fire Update Oct. 11.jpg Fri, 10/11/2024 – 14:10 Peak Fire Update Oct. 11.jpg Peak Fire News Release October 10, 2024 Thu, 10/10/2024 – 18:15 Peak Fire News Release October 10, 2024 Peak Fire News Release October 9, 2024 Wed, 10/09/2024 – 12:42 Peak Fire News Release October 9, 2024 Peak Fire News Release October 8, 2024 Tue, 10/08/2024 – 13:14 Peak Fire News Release October 8, 2024 Peak Fire News Release October 7, 2024 Mon, 10/07/2024 – 15:07 Peak Fire News Release October 7, 2024 Peak Fire News Release October 6, 2024 Sun, 10/06/2024 – 14:25 Peak Fire News Release October 6, 2024 Peak Fire News Release Update October 5, 2024 Sun, 10/06/2024 – 14:36 Peak Fire News Release Update October 5, 2024 Peak Fire News Release Friday, October 4, 2024 Sun, 10/06/2024 – 14:23 Peak Fire News Release Friday, October 4, 2024”

Please note that these reports are automatically published and unreviewed quotes from InciWeb. Therefore they might be incomplete, hard to read or include misspelled words.

Fire containment

What does 100% containment mean?

Note that full containment doesn’t mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that firefighters have managed to get a line completely around the wildfire’s perimeter and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread.

However, there’s a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it. Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can’t spread or cross the containment line.

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: InciWeb