Updated: 5:21 p.m. July 17

First discovered: 6 days ago, 11:48 a.m. July 11

Initial location: North of Feather River Highway, Plumas County, Calif.

Fire unit: Plumas National Forest

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Twain Fire

Twain Fire initially started 11:48 a.m. July 11 on North of Feather River Highway in Plumas County, California.

By Friday evening, 276 acres of land had been destroyed by it. As of Friday evening, the fire crew managed to contain 90% of this wildfire. At this time, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 90% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 90% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 10% 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