Updated: 5:04 p.m. Aug. 16

First discovered: 8 days ago, 4:08 p.m. Aug. 8

Initial location: east of Route 395 and south of Bringman Road, Lassen County, Calif.

Fire unit: Bureau of Land Management – Carson City District

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Bug Fire

Bug Fire initially started at 4:08 p.m. Aug. 8 — east of Route 395 and south of Bringman Road, Lassen County, and is currently burning in Lassen and Sierra counties, California.

As of Sunday evening, 94,105 acres of land had been consumed by it. By Sunday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 85% of this fire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

Understanding what 85% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 85% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 15% 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