Updated: 7:59 p.m. July 17

First discovered: 1 week ago, 3:47 p.m. July 10

Initial location: Dixie Valley, Lassen County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Lassen-Modoc Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Loomis Fire

Loomis Fire initially started 3:47 p.m. July 10 in Dixie Valley in Lassen County, California.

As of Friday evening, 656 acres of land had been scorched by it. By Friday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 60% of this fire. At present, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

This is what 60% containment means

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 60% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 40% 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