Updated: 6:08 p.m. Aug. 26

First discovered: 4:41 p.m. Aug. 26

Initial location: Siskiyou County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Scarface

Scarface Fire initially started today at 4:41 p.m. in Siskiyou County, California and it is a part of SKU LATE AUGUST LIGHTNING COMPLEX fire.

It has been burning on private land. By Tuesday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 70% of the wildfire. The cause remains undetermined.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 70% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 70% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 30% 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: National Interagency Fire Center