Updated: 10:06 p.m. May 18
First discovered: 32 hours ago, 1:59 p.m. May 17
Initial location: Between Dead Steer Flat and Orr Lake, Siskiyou County, Calif.
Fire unit: Klamath National Forest
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Tennant Fire
Tennant Fire initially started 1:59 p.m. May 17 between Between Dead Steer Flat and Orr Lake in Siskiyou County, California.
It has burned 13.5 acres after being active for 32 hours. As of Monday evening, a fire crew of 31 has achieved full containment of the blaze. The cause of it is still under investigation.
Four engines, one water tender, one dozer and one hand crew have been combating 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 100% containment mean?
Note that full containment doesn’t mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that the wildfire has been fully enclosed by a control line 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: Cal Fire