Updated: 8:16 p.m. July 17

First discovered: 4 days ago, 7:08 p.m. July 13

Initial location: Highway 39 and Mountain Laurel Way, Los Angeles County, Calif.

Fire unit: Angeles National Forest

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Zebra Fire

Zebra Fire initially started 7:08 p.m. July 13 at Highway 39 and Mountain Laurel Way in Los Angeles County, California.

As of Friday evening, 25 acres of land had been consumed by it. By Friday evening, the fire crew managed to contain 80% of the fire. At present, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does 80% containment mean?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 80% of the wildfire is contained 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