Updated: 8:44 p.m. Aug. 12

First discovered: 8 hours ago, 12:35 p.m. Aug. 12

Initial location: Soda Lake Road and Carrizo Plains, San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire San Luis Obispo Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Plains Fire

Plains Fire initially started today at 12:35 p.m. at Soda Lake Road and Carrizo Plains in San Luis Obispo County, California.

By Wednesday evening, 2,500 acres of land had been scorched by it. As of Wednesday evening, 20% of the wildfire was brought under containment. At present, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 20% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 20% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 80% 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