Updated: 8:42 a.m. July 21

First discovered: 14 hours ago, 6:03 p.m. July 20

Initial location: Milton Road & Main Street Jenny Lind, Calaveras County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Columbus Fire

Columbus Fire initially started 6:03 p.m. July 20 at Milton Road & Main Street Jenny Lind in Calaveras County, California.

As of Tuesday morning, it had scorched 13.6 acres, an increase of two acres since the last update. By Tuesday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 60% of this wildfire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 60% contained?

The percentage indicates how much 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