Updated: 3:55 p.m. Sep. 2

First discovered: 3 hours ago, 12:04 p.m. Sep. 2

Initial location: Little John Drive, Copperopolis, Calaveras County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: 2-8 Fire

2-8 Fire initially started today at 12:04 p.m. in Calaveras County, California.

Since its discovery three hours ago, it has burned 499 acres, an increase of 349 acres since the last update. As of Tuesday afternoon, the blaze continues to grow uncontrolled. The cause of it is still under investigation.

Fire containment

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