Updated: 9:58 p.m. Aug. 14

First discovered: 9 hours ago, 12:46 p.m. Aug. 14

Initial location: Taffle Ranch Rd and Louis Lane, 5 miles Southeast of Hemet, Riverside County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Taffle Fire

Taffle Fire initially started today at 12:46 p.m. about Taffle Ranch Rd and Louis Lane, 5 miles Southeast of Hemet in Riverside County, California.

As of Friday evening, it had burned 55 acres. By Friday evening, the fire crew managed to contain 25% of this wildfire. At this time, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 25% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 25% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 75% 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