Updated: 11:40 a.m. Sep. 14
First discovered: 13 days ago, 5:34 a.m. Sep. 1
Initial location: The Root Fire is west of Castella and north of Castle Creek., Shasta County, Calif.
Fire unit: Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: Root Fire
Root Fire initially started 5:34 a.m. Sep. 1 in Shasta County, California.
It has burned 729 acres after being active for 13 days. A crew of 205 firefighters has been working on site and, as of Sunday noon, they managed to contain 97% of the fire. The cause of the fire is believed to be human caused (escaped campfire).
Fuels involved in this wildfire, according to InciWeb: “Timber (Litter and Understory) Timber (Grass and Understory).”
More reports from InciWeb:
• Incident overview:
“The Root Fire was discovered September 1, 2025 north of Castle Creek and west of Castella. Law enforcement officers from the Forest Service have determined that the Root Fire was caused by an escaped campfire. The fire is burning in Timber understory and grass in steep terrain. Firefighters are working to keep the fire north of Forest Road 39N25; South of the Castle Crags Wilderness; East of Whalen Summit and West of the North Fork of Castle Creek. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with seasonally dry and receptive fuel.”
• Projected incident activity:
“Minimal fire behavior is expected over the next 24 hours. Humidity is expected lowest in the mid 30% range, with high temperatures of 64-68 degrees. These are the driest conditions the fire area has experienced in multiple shifts and should assist in showing areas of remaining heat.”
• Planned actions on this wildfire:
“Continue holding existing fire within existing control lines and extending mop up further interior of the fires edge to increase containment. Rehabilitate and repair established control lines.”
• Weather concerns:
“A drying trend returned to the fire area. This will assist in showing any remaining heat. Rain does not enter the short term forcast.”
• Significant events:
“Minimal smoldering.”
Please note that these reports are automatically published and unreviewed quotes from InciWeb. Therefore they might be incomplete, hard to read or include misspelled words.
Fire containment
What does it mean for a fire to be 97% contained?
Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 97% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 3% 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: InciWeb