Updated: 1 p.m. Sep. 30

First discovered: 24 hours ago, 12:02 p.m. Sep. 29

Initial location: Van Vleck Road and Jackson Highway, Sacramento County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Vleck Fire

Vleck Fire initially started 12:02 p.m. Sep. 29 in Sacramento County, California.

It has burned 30 acres after being active for 24 hours. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire crew managed to contain 95% of this wildfire. The cause is, however, still being investigated.

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 halted 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