Updated: 10:04 p.m. June 21
First discovered: 31 hours ago, 2:09 p.m. June 20
Initial location: West Panoche Road and Highway 180, Mendota, Fresno County, Calif.
Fire unit: Cal Fire Fresno-Kings Unit
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Panoche Fire
Panoche Fire initially started 2:09 p.m. June 20 at West Panoche Road and Highway 180, Mendota in Fresno County, California.
After being active for 31 hours, it has burned 140 acres. By Sunday evening, a fire crew of six successfully contained the entire fire. However, the cause is still being investigated.
The fire suppression efforts involved two engines and one water tender. According to Cal Fire, “Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.”
Fire containment
What does 100% containment mean?
Note that full containment doesn’t mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that the whole perimeter of the wildfire has been surrounded by a control line and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread.
However, there’s a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it. Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can’t spread or cross the containment line.
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