Updated: 8:45 p.m. Aug. 16

First discovered: 5 hours ago, 3:15 p.m. Aug. 16

Initial location: Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego County, Calif.

Fire unit: San Diego Fire & Rescue

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Sorrento Fire

Sorrento Fire initially started today at 3:15 p.m. at Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road in San Diego County, California.

As of Sunday evening, it had destroyed 130.6 acres. By Sunday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 25% of the fire. Currently, there is no information available on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

Understanding what 25% containment means

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