Updated: 5:24 p.m. Aug. 9

First discovered: Less than an hour ago, 4:33 p.m. Aug. 9

Initial location: Foster Road north of Indian Rock Road, Imperial County, Calif.

Fire unit: Bureau of Indian Affairs

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Foster Fire

Foster Fire initially started today at 4:33 p.m. on Foster Road north of Indian Rock Road in Imperial County, California.

As of Sunday evening, it had scorched 311 acres, an increase of eleven acres since the last update. The fire crew has managed to contain none of the blaze by Sunday evening. At present, there is no information available on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

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