Updated: 9:14 a.m. June 14
First discovered: 4 days ago, 1:41 p.m. June 10
Initial location: San Bernardino County, Calif.
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Ranch
Ranch Fire initially started 1:41 p.m. June 10 in San Bernardino County, Apple Valley.
After being active for four days, it has burned 4,293 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an increase of 88 acres since the last update. By Saturday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 75% of the wildfire. It is still unclear what caused the fire. Currently, the cost for addressing this fire stands at $1,400,000.
The main fuel for this wildfire consists of two-foot brush.
Insights into wildfire behavior with two-foot brush as fuel
Due to the density and flammability of brush vegetation, brush fires create moderate to high intensity flames. Containment efforts might be challenging, especially in dry and windy conditions, as such wildfire tends to spread rapidly. There’s an increased risk of ember production, which can lead to spot fires as well as brush fuels produce dense smoke.
Fire containment
What does 75% containment mean?
Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 75% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 25% 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: National Interagency Fire Center