Updated: 7:33 a.m. July 4

First discovered: 4 days ago, 3:27 p.m. June 30

Initial location: USMC Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, Calif.

Fire unit: USMC Camp Pendleton

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Range Fire

Range Fire initially started 3:27 p.m. June 30 at USMC Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California.

It has burned 429 acres after being active for four days. As of Saturday morning, the fire crew effectively contained 80% of this fire. The cause is, however, still being investigated.

Fire containment

Interpreting what 80% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 80% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 20% 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